Northwest Sahaptin Texts 9780231887328

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(Holumbta JSni&erartg dontributtane to jAntlprCTpologg Volume XIX PART

I

NORTHWEST SAHAPTIN TEXTS BY MELVILLE

JACOBS

NORTHWEST SAHAPTIN TEXTS BY

MELVILLE JACOBS

PART I

NEW YORK

COLUMBIA U N I V E R S I T Y 1934

PRESS

P R I N T E D IN GERMANY J. AUGUSTIN, GLÜCKSTADT AND HAMBURG

TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface

IX Part I. Myths

Klikitat Myths. Joe Hunt 1. The animals argue about the length of day and night 2. The hunter obtains a deer hunting power 3. The girl carried off and made pregnant by elk 4. The animals determine who will be elk 5. Timber Rabbit secures gambling power and avenges himself 6. Flea. He is a cannibal 7. The deer are made to be dangerous beings no longer . . . 8. Mountain goat and buffalo contend. Mountain goats steal prairie goat garments 9. Wolf kills cannibal bumble bees 10. Mountain Goats give mountain footwear to Deer 11. Eagle travels with mischievous weasel 12. Wild Cat kills his lewd grandmother, is pursued by Grizzly woman, almost rescued by Mice, then killed 13. Ugly Wild Cat trickily marries the chief's daughter, becomes handsome, saves starving people 14. The Dogs make warmer weather 15. The Dogs make warmer weather (second version) . . . . 16. His daughter makes Sun forego human food 17. Moon transformer teaches domestic crafts and kills dangerous beings 18. Skunk loses his musk sac 19. Flying squirrel. He devours persons camping overnight 20. Bear woman kills Grizzly woman's daughter 21. Wolves kill the fish. Chinook salmon is avenger 22. Coyote tricks and eats his brother, Deer 23. Coyote prays for food; he visits the land of the dead . . 24. Coyote kills his deer power, Tick, and his own wife . . . 25. Coyote kills his deer power, Tick, and his own wife (second version); Cloud tells news about him; he tries to shoot the moon 26. Coyote cuts foods out of a child 27. Coyote cuts foods out of a child (second version)

3 3 5 6 8 10 11 14 16 17 19 20 24 27 30 32 33 40 42 43 45 47 54 55 57 59 60 62

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Northwest Sahaptin

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28. Coyote and Eagle part. Coyote kills the swallowing monster and a Soft Basket Person, is speared by the one armed man, kills two dangerous dogs; he secures a powerful cane and knife 29. Coyote devises fishing methods; he chops trees 30. Wild Cat plays tricks on Coyote 31. Grizzly goes mad. Coyote adopts Eagle, tricks him and takes his wives, releases salmon, is duped by and dupes Wolves 32. Coyote is duped by and dupes Wolves (second version) 33. Coyote defeats Wood Rat 34. Coyote kills dangerous dogs (second version); he and Fox lose a race to a girl 35. Skunk pretends dying and with Coyote tricks and kills animals 36. Coyote tosses up his eyes.. ..' Cowlitz and upper Cowlitz Myths. Sam N. Eyley, Jr 1. Coyote pretends to doetor a girl 2. Coyote tricks Eagle and takes his wives; he releases salmon 3. Rock and Boil 4. Coon fools Coyote. Coyote deceives and eats Coon, fights feces, is sealed in rock, tosses up his eyes, retrieves them 5. Coyote kills the Drumstick cannibal 6. In races Coyote loses, Fox wins 7. Cougar decapitates stick swallower, skull pursues. Wild Cat steals fire, Cougar fights avengers. He cuts Mink from a fish; Mink makes rain, gets food from wells; they escape Grizzly's father 8. The burning of the Soft Basket People 9. Hwilpi'us kills his sons, one survives to kill him 10. Vulva outraces Penis

64 74 76 79 91 93 96 98 100 102 102 103 107 107 Ill 112

113 121 123 124

Cowlitz and Upper Cowlitz Myths. Sam Eyley, Sr 125 1. "The person who sucks in." Coyote's adventures with the River Swallower, Intestines entangler, Bark binder, air sucker, rock batterer, and buffaloes 126 2. Cougar decapitates stick swallower, skull pursues. Wild Cat steals fire, Cougar fights avengers. He cuts Mink from a fish, Mink gets food from wells; they escape grizzly's father 133

Table of Contents 3. Coyote loses his milt daughters. They steal Moon baby; Moon becomes transformer 4. Cloud takes Cougar's wife; Wild Cat and Cougar boy pursue, kill Cloud and his sisters, revive Cougar, who returns with his wife. His daughter becomes Little Cloud 5. Animals and birds ascend by arrow chain to sky; there Beaver steals the fire 6. Coyote pretends to die, returns to cohabit with his daughters 7. Coyote traps but releases the north west wind 8. Gluttonous Spear Boy pursues his sister, is sent home by River Man, escapes the pecking woman 9. Blue Jay's canoe is carried away, he lands on slippery ice, survives the cold and smoky house, the hot sweat house, defeats the girl plunger, is shot, wins at pole climbing, passes beneath the rock shutter 10. Grizzly woman kills Bear woman; Bear's daughters kill Grizzly's; Grizzly pursues; Bake-on-hot-rocks kills Bear girls; youngest Bear girl is lost with Testicle Ear Pendant people, is taken by Chinook Salmon man, he is killed by her husband and Meadow Lark 11. Old man Raven carries a person to a far away land to find his wife Cowlitz Myths. Mary Eyley

VII 139

142 145 146 147 148

153

159 163 168

1. Naha'ntci. His grandson and Coyote's sons steal the rainbow 168 2. In races Coyote loses, Fox wins 169 3. Flying squirrel. He devours overnight campers 171 4. Flea. He is a cannibal 174 5. Owl carries away and marries a girl 175 Upper Cowlitz Myths. Jim Yoke 1. Skunk pretends dying and with Coyote tricks and kills animals 2. Coon kills Grizzly swallower, whips his lewd grandmother, the Ducks scold her 3. Mink boy has a dead girl resuscitated, then turns into a dangerous being 4. Grizzly woman and Bear woman soil their sister-in-law, are killed by Grizzly's husband, whose sister is killed by Urine Boy. Grizzly man marries Urine Boy's sister

177 177 179 183 186

VIII

Northwest Sahaptin

Texts

5. Coyote kills the Soft Basket Woman-with-vaginadentata 6. Coyote goes to the land of the dead to be with his children 7. Coyote tricks Eagle and takes his wives, releases salmon, is duped by and dupes Wolves 8. Skunk cohabits with Eagle's wife, pursues Eagle, loses his sac, slaughters insulters, is fooled by Frost 9. Coyote borrows Break Wind's anus, tosses up his eyes, retrieves them, assaults old women, deceives a girl seeking power

188 190 191 202 207

Two Kittitas Myths. Mrs. Dan Secena 213 1. Adventures of mischievous transformer Coyote 213 2. Coon boy kills Grizzly swallower, he and his grandmother kill food swallower 217 Part II. Tales and Miscellaneous Texts A Cowlitz Story. Mary Eyley Cowlitz Ethnologic Notes. Mary Eyley Upper Cowlitz Geographic Notes. Jim Yoke Upper Cowlitz Myth and Geographic Text. Lewy Costima . . . Tale of European Origin. Sam Eyley Sr Tales of European Origin. Sam N. Eyley J r 1. The grateful dead boy and the monster's bride 2. The grateful dead boy and the extraordinary companions 3. The tests of the prospective son-in-law

223 225 228 238 247 252 252 258 263

Reminiscences of Kittitas Life. Mrs. Dan Secena

269

PREFACE Dictations were secured in northern Sahaptin dialects at various times during the period 1926—1930. Thirteen Klikitat myths rendered by Joe Hunt were published as Northwest Sahaptin Texts, 1, University of Washington Publications in Anthropology, Vol. 2, pp. 175—244, 1929. The present larger volume presents additional myths and miscellaneous texts from the Klikitat and adjacent Sahaptin tribes. For the opportunity to make these recordings indebtedness is acknowledged to Professor Franz Boas and Columbia University for research funds used in 1926; recordings and translations secured in 1927 and later were obtained under the auspices of the Committee on Research in Indian Languages (American Council of Learned Societies), 1927, and the latter jointly with the Department of Anthropology of the University of Washington, 1928—1931. Frequent omissions and serious inaccuracies appear in the 1926 work; however, linguistic problems may be studied in it if used cautiously and if corrected with text obtained in 1927 and later when increasing familiarity with the language made the recording easier and more accurate. Very considerable expense and time would be needed for securing the data to provide an adequate ethnologic setting. In a few years the present texts ought to be checked over in the field, their meaning and setting interpreted as fully as possible, and additional versions written. Indeed, if interest in the tribal mythology as such be worth pursuing, fuller myth collections ought to be made for each tribe; the present collection offers a minor fraction of the myths current. No indication of regional distribution of episodes and stories is attempted, however useful that may be for purposes of historical deductions or for regional views; the task would be enormous and the notations made would become obsolete very quickly with the fresh accumulations of other students in the northwest. The title at the head of each text was not supplied by an informant. I heard natives apply stereotyped short titles to a few

X

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myths; I also heard myths referred to by statements of the usual contents of the first sentences or by rapid plot summaries. Native ways of identifying or referring to stories are of interest and need field observation. I neglected regrettably to inquire concerning myth titles or to note the manner in which myths were referred to in casual conversation. It is impossible for an outsider to invent titles that would satisfy an older native. Merely for the reader's convenience titles are devised that may serve to give some suggestion of the myth contents. Very little of the atmosphere of story telling can be provided on a printed page. A few interesting remarks of one informant may be mentioned. In a native setting of the upper Cowlitz river, according to Mrs. Mary Eyley, stories that were very long would be told in two or more successive nights. In times gone by it was the custom to make a halt, perhaps when the auditors were disappearing or dropping off to sleep, saying something such as, "a'unac we-'ntkackta wat'i't'ac," "Now I will tie up the myth," implying that the myth was like a canoe, and had to be moored to a log or tree along the river until the next night's myth journey. When story telling was in order the next evening the raconteur would perhaps say, "a'unac tca'q w tlkta wat'i't'ac," "Now I will untie the myth," and the narrative would proceed from where it had halted. Continuing the simile, should the raconteur wander from the main stream of the narrative or diverge into a side channel of gossip or other irrelevance, one of the auditors might admonish by calling out, "ya'we-natamac wat'i't'ac," "Your myth might float away." It is also of interest to note that each sentence or perhaps even each phrase of the narrative was concluded with an affirmative semiritual call of "i-'- !" literally " Y e s ! " from the auditors, who if awake were expected to respond regularly in that somewhat fatiguing manner. In these skeptical, degenerate, modern days the myths are often received by a merely smiling or even relatively unresponsive audience. The stories or other dictations of each informant are grouped together. A version of the same story told by another Sahaptin informant is mentioned in a footnote. Short descriptive and critical notes of informants, interpreters or other matters are provided at the head of each group of dictations. Words in italics were dictated in English; words in parentheses are implied but unexpressed in the native and are added because they seem necessary for the intelligibility of the translation. When a personifying suffix is used in the native (e. g. spilya'i, Coyote as person; contrast with spi'lya, coyote as mere animal) the

Preface

XI

English word translation is capitalized. If the native word for a being or animal is given without personifier, the English rendering is uncapitalized. Frequently the native speaker employs both personified and unpersonified forms in a single statement. Such unconscious inconsistency is reflected in the English translation by the presence or absence of capitalization. The numbers of paragraphs and sentences have been introduced to facilitate the identification of the sentences of the Indian texts to be published as Part II of this volume. I wish to acknowledge indebtedness to those friends and assistants who kindly gave their help in the preparation of the manuscript, and above all to Professor Boas for constant encouragement and support. Seattle, 1932.

PART 1. MYTHS

KLIKITAT MYTHS Joe Hunt Short notes a b o u t Mr. H u n t and interpreters employed were included in Northwest Sahaptin Texts, 1, University of Washington Publications in Anthropology, 1929, p. 242; thirteen of Mr. H u n t ' s m y t h dictations constitute t h a t publication. T h i r t y six additional m y t h s dictated by this informant are printed here; footnotes give t h e n a m e of t h e interpreter of each m y t h a n d the time when t h e recording and translation were made. T h e reader m a y observe caution before taking the m y t h s of Mr. H u n t as representative of K l i k i t a t mythology so far as content is concerned. H u n t usually told m y t h s with unique neatness, compactness a n d stylistic adequacy. B u t it is probable t h a t failure to tell certain episodes or even whole m y t h s was due to sensitivity originating in t h e attitudes of t h e Whites towards sexual m a t t e r s ; it is quite likely t h a t in this regard t h e upper Cowlitz myths of J i m Yoke are more completely typical for their tribe t h a n the H u n t m y t h s a r e for t h e Klikitat t r i b e ; Mr. H u n t seems to h a v e included only a portion of t h e sexual episodes t h a t are natively integral with t h e m y t h s he told. Mr. H u n t was allowed to give duplicate versions of several myths, in each case unaware t h a t h e h a d provided a dictation of t h e same thing a t a n earlier time. H e dictated whatever he chose t o give: t h e recorder a n d interpreter made no suggestions of m y t h s desired, either in the case of H u n t or a n y other informant. Though t h e poorer or earlier told versions have less utility for purposes of purely historical mythologic study t h a n the fuller a n d better rendered versions, it m a y be t h a t less acceptable versions are not lacking in significance for purposes of ethnologic and psychologic study. I n a n entirely native environment t h e raconteur m a y provide occasionally poorer entertainment, perhaps because of coolness felt towards t h e audience present, or for any of a number of reasons. Therefore it should be of interest to record side by side both weak a n d adequate renditions by a single informant.

l . T h e a n i m a l s argue a b o u t the l e n g t h of d a y and n i g h t . 1 1. There were people, a great many people. There was no night, no day. It was a problem, should there be named night and day. (2) That is what all the people that were in the land were talking about, they quarreled about it among one another in the land. (3) That is how they were going around, those who were grizzly, bear, cougar, 1

Told J u n e 1929; interpreter, J . J . Spencer. I n this m y t h t h e animals m e t at a lake near t h e Klickitat River in southern Washington.

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Northwest Sahaptin

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wolf, badger, fisher, coyote and all, they were the ones who gathered together. (4) "Now there shall be day, and night. But one night is too long." They all said, liWhat now supposing it should be one day, and only one night, in darkness?" 2. This is how bear spoke then. "There shall be five days, and there shall be one darkness. On the fifth day it shall dawn." (2) Grizzly spoke, the older brother of bear. He said, "It shall be ten years. For ten years there shall be only one darkness, one night." (3) That is how Grizzly spoke. Rattlesnake said, "It shall be five years, and then there shall be only one darkness for five years." (4) His younger brother, named bull snake, said, "There shall be three years, one darkness during three years, and then it shall dawn." (5) And that is what the brothers Grizzly and bear said, and a great many of Rattler's people also. 3. In the very same manner big toad was there, with a large number of his younger brothers. (2) They said, "By no means shall it be like that, so long a time of years, and then it will be only one darkness. The people (the Indians) coming are already near, it shall never be like that. Rather shall there be only one day, and also only one night." That is what he (toad) said. (3) Many of them argued about it. Then frog, the younger brother of big toad, said, "There shall be only one day, and one night. (Then) it shall dawn." 4. Grizzly became angry, he was a dangerous (powerful) being in this land, all of them feared him. (2) Similarly, Rattler was a dangerous being too, and all of them in the land feared him. (3) They were the ones (Grizzly and Rattler) who became angry. "It shall not be like that!" (4) Those who were also dangerous beings argued about it. "We will argue it out. When darkness comes, then we will argue. Whoever will be so strong (as to talk on) until it dawns, will win. That is how it shall be indeed. (5) The people coming are already near. Never shall there be night for ten years, and only one darkness, never for five years, never for three years." That is what they said. 5. They argued, and when darkness came they talked on. (2) He said, "Ten years, one darkness."1 (3) Said frog, "Only one darkness, only one darkness."1 Grizzly, "Ten years, ten years."1 "Only one darkness."1 6. When the sun was rising, Grizzly was tired, he was worn out. (2) Frog had the better of him. When the sun rose, Frog had beaten him. Grizzly gave up, he quit. (3) He (Frog) won it from him for good. From then until now there is only one day, and only one darkness. That is how they argued. 1

Repeat indefinitely in a clowning monotone chant.

Klikitat

Myths

5

2. T h e h u n t e r o b t a i n s a d e e r h u n t i n g p o w e r . 1 1. There was a man, he was a one legged man. He had a son. (2) He said to his son, " I have not been just like this. I used to be a hunter of all sorts of things. I became like this at a place where an elk did it to me. I t stabbed me in the leg." That is what he told his son. (3) "You may also encounter elk, and it may do to you as it did to me." That is what he said to his child. 2. The man (the son) traveled about in the mountains, and came upon deer, a single elk. (2) He shot at it with an arrow, and the elk went on. The man pursued, it led him along. (3) I t became dark. He saw, "There are two deer now." He shot at them, they fled, he pursued them, it became dark, he followed on, it became light (dawn). (4) He saw, "There are three deer now." He shot at them, they fled, he followed, and then it became dark. 3. The man did not know (where he had come). (2) He saw there was an old man, he had deer and all sorts of things by the fire, the fire was burning, he was left at home with a small deer and a big deer by the fire. (3) I t burned in a great blaze. 4. He said to him, "What do you think ? Hear me now! Look! Here I am. I have never killed anything like that. (2) Your father (when out hunting) awakened, with only one leg. I did not do it, not I. (3) He falsely deceived you. He was gathering wood, and there at t h a t place he was hurt by a log. The log fell on him, and because of that his leg became that way. (4) I did not do it. He just lied to you in t h a t manner." 5. And this is what the old man told him. (2) "When you return, speak to him in this manner. 'Here I am.' You saw me. 'You were no hunter of deer. I will be ruling. I see you, when you travel about, that you are a poor hunter. You shall not just hunt and shoot deer. I will give it (game) to you. I will see t h a t you are going about poorly, t h a t you are finding no deer, and then I will give you (deer).' (3) Now you have found me. That is how your father lied to you. Now you have found me. T h a t is how you will speak to your father, when you return home. 6. "That is how you will tell your father, ' I have found deer there, just as you told me. I have found them there now.' (2) That is how you will speak to your father. 'That is what he said to me. "He never did such a thing." (3) That is what he said t o me. "A log, on the other hand, did it to (your) foot, where you were getting wood. I t was the log t h a t did it. I did not do t h a t to you." T h a t is what he told me.' (4) When you have related all t h a t to your father, 1

Told August 1926; interpreter, Peter McGuff. 2

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then come here. That is what your father thought, but he lied to you. Now you have found me." So the old man spoke to the man. 7. The man did not know, "What direction shall I go?" He found himself far away there in the mountains, and it seemed he had been taken down into a lake. He saw that it was a lake. (2) The man had not thought he had been there like that. So then he went towards home. He reached the house. 8. He said to his father, " I have found what did that to your leg." (2) The old man replied, "Yes! I t is good that you found it." That is what the old man said. (3) He told him, "This is how he spoke to me. He did not do that to you. So he said. 'He was getting wood, and it was a log that fell down there like that. That was what did it to him, it broke his leg. But I did not.' That is what that old man told me." Then the old man was ashamed. 9. His son said to him, " I have told you that much. This is the last time I will see you, I am going to leave you, I am going away in that direction." That is what he said to his father. (2) The man (the son) lay down and slept. He "died." He went there to the lake, where that other old man was, he went to that place. The (young) man "died." 10. That is how the old man no longer had a child. That is how the story goes, that is the end. 3. T h e g i r l c a r r i e d off and m a d e p r e g n a n t by elk. 1 1. There were five elk brothers. This is how the oldest spoke. " I shall go seek women." The oldest brother went away, so that only four were left at home. (2) He went on. He came to some place where there was a little lake, that was where he arrived. (3) This woman learned so, the woman who usually came and bathed there. She went in the water at that place. When it was about dawn, the unmarried young woman would come, she came to bathe. (4) Elk was at that place in the lake. When the sun rose, the woman came to bathe. When she came there she saw, "The stick out in the middle of the lake must be nice." (5) Then the woman went into the water, she went there, to the stick. There she climbed upon it, she sat upon the stick. That stick rose, it was elk (his antlers). (6) The woman rode there upon him, and then he carried away the unmarried young woman. He went towards the mountains, the elk carried the woman away. 2. The woman became frightened as they went on, the woman cried. She thought, " I am getting thirsty for water." (2) He said 1

Told July 1926; interpreter, Peter McGuff.

Klikitat Myths

7

to her, "Open up my ear on this side." The woman opened the ear of elk, water was there, and the woman drank. He went on. (3) The woman said to herself, " I am hungry for food." Elk said to her, "Open my ear on that side." The woman did so, and ate good meat and food, good it was. The woman ate as they went along. Elk went on, carrying her as he went. 3. The woman thought, "How can I return home ?" That is what the woman thought. She broke off fir boughs, she placed them there upon him, she broke off a great many of them. (2) The woman thought, " I shall return home. He is taking me pretty near now to the place where his younger brothers are." The woman caught herself on a branch, but the elk did not know it. He went on. (3) The woman was there on the branch. From that place she returned home, she went along for it might have been as many as two nights. 4. Elk reached his younger brothers. He said, " I have brought your sister-in-law, my younger brothers! Take her!" (2) The youngest came out of the house. Nowhere was there any woman. He said to him, "Nowhere do you have a woman." That is what he told him. (3) He said to another one, "Take your sister-in-law!" Another came out of the house, "You have no woman." That is what they did (said to him). (4) He (the last brother) said, "You have sticks and fir boughs, but no woman." Elk said, " I shall follow the woman at once." He turned back directly, and away he went. (5) He reached the place where the woman had come down from the branch. The woman had run on and returned home, so elk followed the woman. 5. She was pretty nearly tired out. The woman was running along. " I must urinate before going further." That was what the woman (said), and the woman urinated there. (2) Elk reached that place, and lie saw, "Evidently the woman has urinated here." Then elk himself urinated at the very same place. (3) The woman at length returned home. He (Elk) turned about and went home from that place. 6. The woman went along, and an infant developed in her belly. Directly, as she went along there, she gave birth to the child. At that place she put the child on a cradle board. "Now I shall take it home." (2) She carried it to there, to the house where her grandmother and mother were. She reached there, and they saw her, "She is coming home with a child she has." (3) She said, " I have a child now. That is how (it happens to be that) I must not ever loosen the child. On the contrary, the child must stay on the cradle board." (4) So the child remained on the cradle board. Whatever the woman did she did not loosen it (from its board). 2*

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7. As for its mother, when the child cried, the woman was far away from the house. So she (the grandmother) loosened the child. The boy child sat up, he made a sound like an elk, and then away he ran. (2) He had become an elk. The woman grieved. "They did no good to my child." The elk returned to the place where its father was, that was where it returned. (3) "Never will elk be here, they will be far away there in the big mountains, from that time on they will never be hereabouts, they will be far away in the big mountains. They will not be here, they will never come here, they will be in the big mountains." That is what his father ordained. (4) Elk boy returned to that place. That was why the woman lost him when he was loosened. That should not have been done, until the fifth night, then she might have unloosened her child. (5) When the people were here, there would have been quantities of food, in that land there would be a great many elks all the time now. 8. That is the myth of elk who returned home. 4. T h e a n i m a l s d e t e r m i n e who will be elk. 1 1. There was a chief, he had an elk antler. (2) He said, " I am going to go take this to where there are a great many people. When I come to that place the people will assemble there, they will try on this antler, whomever it fits well, he will become elk, it will be his then." That is how the chief spoke. 2. He carried that antler to that place, he brought it to the Klikitat country here. (2) He said, "All you people gather!" That is how the people were, all the people were to gather. The chief said, "You will try it on your head. With it everything will be yours, as much as there is." 2 3. Then he who was named Jack rabbit said, " I will be elk myself." (2) He fitted the antlers on his head. They said to him. "Very good!" Everybody said to him, "You seem fine. Supposing you go away now, fatten yourself, and in three months' time maybe the people will kill you." (3) That is how it was. He went to the mountains, for three months he ate, then he became fat. The people said, "He is elk now, he is fat. Let us hunt him." (4) They went, all of them, whoever were good hunters, those who were elk killers. A great many people went. That aforementioned chief went there, that chief who carried the antlers, he went there (too). (5) They were the ones who hunted the elk. Then they saw, "There is the elk!" The elk ran, they did not get him, all the men who were marksmen did not shoot him, they did not catch up to him. (6) Elk 1

Told August 1926 ¡interpreter, Peter McGuff.

2

Translation uncertain.

Klikitat

Myths

9

ran away from them for a time of five days. They overtook him on the fifth day, and they killed him. There was just no fat at all. 4. ''Never will t h a t (Jack rabbit) be elk. Let him go! The people coming are near now. Elk will not be like that, they will not pursue him for five days, then kill him, and (find him) spare and lean. Let him go!" That is how the chief spoke. (2) He took the antlers. " T h a t one (Jack rabbit) will not be elk. They will try on the antlers once again." T h a t is how the chief spoke. 5. And so he did. All the people collected. They tried the antlers on themselves. (2) He whose name was timber rabbit (said), "Now let me have i t ! " He fitted the antlers onto himself, and he became elk. All the people said, " H e is good to look upon. Let him be elk!" (3) The chief said, "You will go away to the mountains. Three months will pass, you will become fat, and then the people will kill you." So the chief told him. (4) Elk (timber rabbit) went away, and three months passed. Then the chief said, "Elk has become fat now. We will hunt him and kill him." That is what the chief said. (5) Those hunters went, there was cougar, there was wolf, there was wildcat, hunters (all). They said, "Perhaps we will kill him now." They went, they found him. Elk ran, they pursued, (over) two mountains, and there they killed him. (6) The people assembled. " I have killed elk!" All the people.butchered it, but it was not fat. (7) The chief spoke, " I t will not be t h a t one (timber rabbit). Let him go! I t will not be like t h a t . The people coming are near." 6. The two of them, sturgeon and elk (this is the true elk), were brothers. Said elk, " W h a t do you think about it, brother ? Let both of us go where the people are assembled." (2) Sturgeon thought, "My brother is going to leave me." Sturgeon became angry. " I will not go." (3) His brother, elk, said to him, "Let us," he told him, "(let us) go." He (sturgeon) said, " I will not go." He (elk) said to him, "If you do not follow me, I will go alone." 7. Elk went away indeed, he went where those people were. When he reached t h a t place, they saw he had arrived. "How do you feel about it ? You try the antlers on yourself. You may look very well with t h e m . " That is how the chief spoke to him. (2) Elk said, "All right!" He fitted the antlers onto himself. "Oh! it looks nice! You will be elk!" That is how the chief spoke to him. "You will go to the mountains, you will go for three months. Then you will be fat, and the people will kill you." 8. Sturgeon said, "My brother has deserted me." Sturgeon was very angry. (2) He (elk) said to him, "Yes, my younger brother, we are separating now. But speak now. if you will." This is how sturgeon spoke. " I myself will go to the water."

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9. Elk went to the mountains then, he went for three months. The chief said, "Elk has become fat now. We will kill him." (2) A great many people went, they hunted him, and they found him. "There is elk! He is f a t ! " (3) They pursued him, (over) only one mountain, they overtook him, they killed him. The people gathered, they butchered him and there was a great quantity of fat. 10. "Oh, this will be elk when the people come. That is how he will be killed if there is a good marksman. They will kill him right there, after only one mountain (has been traversed). That is how it will be there, when the people have come." That is what he (elk) was told. (2) The lesser chief rationed the meat among all the people. "This is the one who will be elk. The people who are coming are near now." 11. The last of this story. 5. T i m b e r

Rabbit

secures g a m b l i n g p o w e r a n d a v e n g e s himself. 1 1. There were timber rabbit and his grandmother. He was a hand game gambler, he was always gambling at the hand game. (2) They would win everything of his. Timber Rabbit lost all his valuables. (3) He said to his grandmother, " I am going to seek a (guardian spirit) power." That is what he said to his grandmother. " I may be traveling away five nights." (4) His grandmother replied, "Very well! You may go." 2. Timber Rabbit went away, five nights he traveled about, he traveled in the smaller mountains, but he did not find it. (He found) no spirit power. (2) He went on to the fifth mountain, a large mountain, he came to the fifth one, and at that mountain he cried out. (3) A spirit power called out to him across the mountain. The boy thought, " I have found a spirit power." He crossed the mountain, he reached the place. 3. There was an old man at the house, he had food, one elk lay by the fire. There he was making a fire for a small deer.2 A t that place was the old man, the old man lay there asleep. (2) He (the old man) said to him, "So you have found me! So you have been looking for me here! So you have found me! I will give you a valuable thing." 3 That is what he told Timber Rabbit boy. (3) " I will give you a little thing that is precious." He gave him the little treasure. 1 2 3

Told August 1926; interpreter, Peter McGuff. Translation uncertain. The old man is going to give Timber Rabbit a spirit power.

Klikitat

Myths

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4. He said to him, "When you return to your home, lie down five nights. After you awake, you will go down to the river, you will bathe in it, you will become good, you will make yourself better. (2) Then you will explain to your grandmother, you will say to her, ' I have found a spirit power.' That is what you will say to her. '1 am going to avenge myself.' " That is what the old man said to him. "Then you will avenge yourself." 5. The boy returned homewards then. He arrived at his grandmother's. His grandmother said to him, "So you have returned!" (2) He said, " I have returned! I found a spirit power." That is what he said to his grandmother. "After five nights, I will gamble at the hand game on the fifth night." (3) His grandmother said to him, "Very well." He remained there five nights. He said, "You may feel good about it, I am going to avenge myself." That is what he said to his grandmother. 6. I t dawned. " I am going to call to the opponents (to come and play)." The boy went away. Timber Rabbit boy cried out. "Now you," he cried out, "Where are you, my opponents ?" (2) He cried out, "Come this way! I am going to (seek to) avenge myself!" So he spoke. They cried out to him, "All right! When the sun rises tomorrow we will gamble at the hand game." (3) That is what they told the boy. That is how the boy did it. He went back towards the house. He told his grandmother, " I will gamble at the hand game tomorrow." And this is how his grandmother spoke to him, "Very well!" 7. He passed the night, and then it dawned. His grandmother felt good about it. "The opposing people will be coming now." The opponents came there. (2) Timber Rabbit gambled at the hand game, his grandmother helped him. There were (staked) many valuables of his grandmother's, and then he won back all his valuables. (3) Timber Rabbit and his grandmother won back many valuables from all the people, from the opponents, he carried in a great many valuables, crowding the house (with them). That is how Timber Rabbit found a spirit power. 8. All now. 6. F l e a . H e is a c a n n i b a l . 1 1. There were people, the people dwelt there. In the night a dangerous being would come to that place, kill someone, carry him 1

Told September 1927; interpreter, Peter McGuff, one week later at White Swan. A version rendered by Mr. Hunt in 1928 is in Northwest Sahaptin Texts, 1, p. 236. The Klikitat entitle the myth, acnamya'i, "Flea". Mary Eyley gave a version in her fourth myth, p. 174.

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Texts

away to his home, take him there, and eat him up. (2) He would go away again, kill someone again, take him back to his own house, and eat him all up. (3) And again he would go away. That was how the dangerous being was. He destroyed many persons, he killed and ate them. 2. He carried away one woman, a little woman, he took her home alive, he brought her to the house. There he thought, "I shall have her for my wife." (2) The woman awoke there. He said to her, "You will be my wife." That is how he spoke to her. There at that place she became the wife of Flea. 3. He would go away, he would go hunting wherever many people were. He would reach there at night, he would kill one, carry him away to the house, and take him back to there. (2) The woman saw, "Oh! he must have killed a relative of mine. That is what he has brought." The woman felt badly about it. (3) The man said to her, "Eat! I have brought back food." But the woman did not eat it at all. She herself looked for fruits and berries and various kinds of roots. That is what the woman would eat. 4. She gave birth to a child, a boy. And again there was another boy, again there was still another boy. Four of them. Then the woman had a child, a girl. (2) He said to her, "That one, the last one, you may have for your own child, while I shall have these males for my own." That is how the man spoke to the woman. (3) He would bring home murdered people, and those boys would eat such persons brought home as food by the father. He would bring them home every sunrise. (4) But that girl would never join them in eating, the girl child of the woman was just like the woman. 5. The woman had an older brother. He thought, "I shall go seek my younger sister." (2) The man (her brother) went away, he found his younger sister. His younger sister said to him, "Do not stay here long. Go away quickly. My husband is a dangerous being, he might kill and eat you." (3) Those boys pretty nearly ate up the man. So he went away quickly and returned home. 6. A little while afterwards the man, Flea, brought back food, a murdered person. (2) When he reached the door, he said to the woman, "What? does it smell of my in-law?" The woman said to him, "Why no! You are smelling your own food." That is how the woman spoke to him. (3) He said to her, "No indeed! Who of my in-laws could have come here ?" That pack (of his) he dropped down, those boys ate it at once. (4) The man stood up. "The food smells, nevertheless." Meantime that man (her older brother) had not yet arrived at his house. (5) The man arose, started away, and followed his brother-in-law. He had almost reached the house when

Klikitat Myths

13

he overtook him there, killed him, and from that place packed him and brought him back to the house. He brought him to the house soon after. 7. The woman was there at the house, and she heard him there, "Now I hear the sound of his coming." He brought it inside, he threw down the food. The woman saw, "Oh! my older brother! He must have been murdered." She burst out crying. (2) Meantime the boys had quickly eaten him up. The woman wept because of her older brother. The man said to her, "What are you crying for ? I might kill you!" (3) Said the woman to him, " I was not crying at all! Smoke from the fire got into my eyes." She said to him, " I was not crying at all!" Said the woman, "Not at all!" 8. The woman was there for five nights after that, and very much did she grieve for her older brother. She thought, " I shall kill him now." (2) She prepared pitch wood, she placed it under and about the entire house. The man used to return right after dawn, and bring back a person. (3) The boys would eat it directly. She thought, "When they are asleep, I shall set it afire." That is how the woman thought. (4) She placed pitch all about the house. She thought, "He will bring back food in a little while." Those sons, the boys, would eat it up, they would eat up a whole person. "They will have finished eating, and will have lain down to sleep. Then I shall set it afire. " (5) That is how she did it, indeed. They had finished eating it all up, they had lain down to sleep. (6) She took that girl child, placed the child on the cradle board, and set it (the house) on fire from the door. The house burned all around. (7) The woman went far away, she sat down at that place, she watched it. "They are burning now." The man exploded p'a-'u, those boys, the children of the man, burst (with smaller explosions). The woman heard them, she counted all five of them explode. 9. The woman went away and returned home to the place from which the man had taken her, in that direction she returned. She arrived there. Her mother said to her, "From where do you return ?" (2) She replied, "Here is my little baby girl. The dangerous being took me away, but I killed him, I set him on fire. Now I am bringing my child back here. I had four boys besides, but they all burned up there also, with their father. I am bringing back this girl." 10. She became a big girl, she lived and grew up. She used to play with the girls. She killed one girl there, and she ate her up. (2) "She is eating us up!" The woman said, "Away with her now! You may kill her!" That is what they did to the girl, they killed her. 11. The woman was alone now. She would go everywhere, where there were many women, so many, and there the woman,

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she herself now, would kill a woman. She would eat her up at that place. (2) They found out, "That is what she has been doing. Aha. she must have become a dangerous being now! She might kill all of us, and eat us." They said, "Away with her!" They killed the woman. 12. " I t shall not be like that in future. The people coming are already near. Although you (Flea) shall be there, when the people have come you shall bother the people. But you shall never kill them. (2) When the winter is over, when the people are moving on in spring time, then you shall be there in the vacant houses. That is how you shall be. But you are never to kill people and eat them. You shall be called flea." 13. All gone now. 7 . T h e d e e r a r e m a d e t o be d a n g e r o u s b e i n g s n o l o n g e r . 1 1. There was ani-'-". 2 2. There were five men, brothers. One of them, the oldest, said, " I am going hunting." He went away. He saw a deer, he followed it, the deer led the man away. (2) He thought, " I t is apparently a deer. I shall kill it." I t led him away. He very nearly shot it. I t led him far, far away. The man went to sleep. I t took him away then. (3) The man awoke. " I am at a house!" That is how he saw he was. "Oh! There are all kinds of food, there is a lot of meat, but there are no persons." That is how he saw it was. (4) He remained at that place. I t seems indeed it must have been in the lake beneath the water, the deer had taken him within there. 3. Another (brother) went away. "Brothers, I myself am going to hunt and follow my brother." He went away, he went far, far away. He saw, "There is a deer. I shall shoot it." (2) But no deer was there, the deer had gone on, it could not be shot. The deer led the man away, and the man followed it, he followed it far, far away. (3) I t seems it must have taken him inside within the lake. There he saw his brother. "There he is! 0 ! brother! You have also arrived at this place." That is how he spoke to his brother. (4) He replied, " Y e s ! Here I am. There is a lot of food." The two brothers remained at that place, while only three brothers were now there at home. Told September 1927; interpreter, Peter McGuff, one week later at White Swan. 2 This is the conventional initial phrase of every watîi't'ac, "myth". Most informants omit the introductory formula when dictating to the visiting anthropologist.

1

Klikitat

Myths

15

4. Another said, " I shall follow where they might have gone. I shall follow." He followed, he hunted, he also went to the very same place. (2) As he went along he saw, "There is a deer." He did not shoot it, the deer led him on, and he followed it. I t took him to the very same place, it took him to that same place, into the water, there it took him within. (3) At that place were the brothers. I t took him to that place. He saw his brothers there, they were at that place. (4) He said to them, " I have been seeking you here." They replied, "Yes! We have come to this place, and we are not going anywhere again. You have also come to this same place yourself." The brothers remained at that place then. 5. Only two were now at home. The smallest and youngest knew where they had gone to. His older brother said, "Where did they go ? I shall go seek them." (2) He also went away, while the last one remained at home. His brother left him, he went away. As he went along he saw a deer, and he wanted to shoot it, but (he did) not. (3) He went on, the deer led the man away, and it took him into the very same place in the lake. At that place he found his brothers. (4) He said to them, "Now I have found you!" They said to him, "We shall not go anywhere. There are no people." 6. The last one was still at the house. He knew, but he did not think, " I myself shall go there." He made an arrow, an arrow head, a bone point he made. (2) He shot at a tree, the tree fell. "Now I am (all right)!" 1 That is how he thought. Then the man went. "What can I do to kill deer?" He saw, "There is a deer!" He did not go towards it. (3) The deer knew, "The powerful being indeed might kill me." He went towards it now, and shot at it in vain, that deer did not die. (4) The man went on, he went close up to the deer there. The deer was afraid of him. He took an arrow. " I shall shoot it." The man shot the arrow with the bone arrow head at the deer. (5)The deer cried out, " a D u - ' " - , 2 the powerful being has killed me." The deer fell down and died. The man went to it. " I have killed the dangerous thing." 7. Then he went on, he came to that lake, he went down to the water there at the lake. He said, "0, you brothers! come out from the water!" (2) He hallooed. The lake went dry, and the brothers emerged. He said, "How indeed do you happen to be here ?" (3) He (an older brother) replied, "How we happen to be here, we did not know what happened to us, or how it became dry. There is a lot of food and meat there, but no people are there at all." That is how he spoke. 2

Now I have spirit power strong enough to kill the dangerous being, deer. A wail of pain.

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8. That man, who had gone away first, said to his younger brothers. 'When I first came I found a quantity of food, and I found it was good there. (2) There was no motive to go away anywhere. To that place came my brothers, so there we all stayed. There was a quantity of good food." 9. That youngest one of them said, " I n future this lake will never be like that. The people traveling this way are nearby now, the people will arrive here. I t will not be like that. Rather it will be that they will go out, they will hunt deer and shoot deer. (2) They will not go like that within the lake. Deer will be food for the people. That is how the people will usually do things. (3) The people are near now. In future in this land deer will be for eating purposes for the people. Look! brothers! I have killed a deer." (4) That is how he spoke to the brothers. "Let us go and see it there." The brothers all went. They saw a big deer lying there, it had one antler. That was how that deer died there. (5) There was no longer a lake at that place, nowhere a dangerous deer. At present there is no lake there at all. 10. That is the way the myth (goes). 8. M o u n t a i n g o a t a n d b u f f a l o c o n t e n d . M o u n t a i n g o a t s steal prairie goat garments.1 1. There were five brothers.2 The smallest and youngest one said, " I am going to seek a spirit power." (2) His older brother said to him, "Very good indeed! Go in the direction where the sun comes from, that is the direction you should go. You may be away traveling for a while, and then you will return." (3) The boy replied, " I shall go towards where the sun rises. I shall return here after a while." His older brother said to him, "Very well." (4) The boy went away. Possibly he went to the big mountains, that was where he went, far, far away he went. He came to a big mountain. "Now I have found that country." (5) That was how the boy at the mountain found the buffalo robes of that (buffalo) boy. There he stayed. 2. When it dawned the boy saw, "Now he has come." He (buffalo) said to him, "Why have you come here ?" He (mountain goat boy) said, "Yes! I came to see you." (2) He replied, "Indeed! You see me! This is the place I play. When it dawns I come here, I play here then." (3) He (buffalo boy) said to him, "Now let us play." He replied, "All right." He said to him, "First you stab at me." 3 (4) 1 1 3

Told July 1926; interpreter, Peter McGuff. They are mountain goats who live near Mt. St. Helens, Washington. With your horns.

Klikitat

Myths

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He said, "No! You first. I t is your country. (But it is) not mine, the land is yours. So first you stab at me." He (buffalo boy) replied, "Very well then." 3. The (buffalo) boy stood up, with his anthers he stabbed at his heart. He (mountain goat) shut his eyes, he (buffalo boy) ran at him, he (mountain goat) turned around, he stabbed him in the rear. (2) He saw that the boy stood there still unhurt. So many times, five times (he stabbed him), but he did not kill him. (3) He (mountain goat) said, "Now I shall do it to you." He replied, "Very well." The boy whose land it was stood there. He (mountain goat) stabbed with his horns at his heart, the fourth time he nearly pierced through to his heart, the fifth time he killed him. (4) He threw him to the rocks below. The boy left him. The boy returned home, he came (being) five nights on the way. 4. There at that place he saw another five brothers.1 They had fine clothes. When it dawned they hung up their clothes, they went to the river to go for a swim. (2) They had very fine clothes indeed. The boy went home quickly from where he was, he arrived at the place where his older brothers were; he returned there. (3) He said, " I found spirit power." That is what the boy said. " I have found where there are five brothers, they have fine garments. Let us go steal them. We are also five." The biggest older brother said, "Yes, indeed! Let us go." 5. They went away and came there where they were, high upon the mountain. When it dawned, they saw them. "Now they are awake. They are going riverwards to bathe." (2) The clothes were hung there. The brothers went on and took the garments, they stole their clothes, they exchanged clothes, that was where they took their clothes. (3) They climbed the mountain. Those others (the prairie goats) returned. "The clothes are no longer here, they stole ours." Then they saw, "There they are far above." (4) They went and followed them. They had left them (their own former mountain goat clothes). It became dark and foggy. They did not catch them. (5) They had left them (their mountain goat clothes). Then they went homewards, they reached their house, they brought the fine clothes with them. That is how they stole the garments. 9. W o l f k i l l s c a n n i b a l b u m b l e bees. 2 1. There were five men, wolves, they were five. They would go away and hunt deer. A dangerous being would come, seize (one of) them, and take (him) away to eat him up. (2) Again another would 1 2

They are wu-'tau, "prairie goats". Told July 1926; interpreter, J . J . Spencer, March 1928.

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go away, and before getting back again to the house, would be seized by the dangerous being and carried away. (3) Another would go away, and when not yet back again to the house, he would be seized. (4) There were only two left. Another went away, and when (he was) nearly back again to the house, the dangerous being seized him there. He took them away to eat them. 2. The youngest found out, "The dangerous being is treating us like that." (2) He went and found an old woman.1 She told him, " I will take pity on you, I will explain the situation to you." That is how she spoke to him. (3) The man said, "Good! Dangerous beings have been eating up all of us. I am quite alone now." She told him, 'I will reveal to you where those dangerous beings are. You will pay me when I have explained to you. You will make a limb for me." (4) He said, "Very well." She said to him, "They are dangerous beings. W e will go, and I will take you along." The man said, "Very well." He followed in her company. 3. They went on, they came near there. She said to him, " I will tell you now. They are dangerous beings. Take good care of yourself. There is a little pond, at that place there is an old woman and an old man. They have a house in the lake, in the middle of the lake. (2) A t that place is a rock, they come out to it when the sun rises; then they will come out. The old man will come out first at the rock, later the old woman herself." That is how she told him. (3) "Then there is a cone pointed mountain, there are children in it. If you remain out of sight, and watch carefully when they come out, the old man will come out (first). You may shoot him." That is how she told him. He said, "Very well." 4. They arrived at that place. There she said to him, "Stay right here, be watching carefully. Yonder is the rock, that is where the old man will come out. When the old man emerges, you will shoot him. He will fall into the water. There will be another. The old woman will come out, she will emerge at the rock. You will shoot her." He did in that manner. He hid himself; the sun rose; the old man came out of the water; he emerged at that place; he came out upon the rock. A t that place the (young) man shot him, and the old man fell into the water. After some time the old woman came out of the water, she climbed the rock at the same place. He shot her. Both of the two had died, the old woman and the old man. 5. H e went on to where their house was, he went to that place. Children were there. He went there, and there he killed those 1

xwalxwa'l, "meadow lark".

Klikitat Myths

19

dangerous beings, who had been eating and seizing them. He killed them. 1 6. Then this is how he thought, "Here is one, it is good, this one will be mine, I shall take it home." So he thought. "This is a good one." He took it, stuck it in his garments, put it in his bosom. On he went. I t (the bumble bee) did him ill, it ate on him as he went along. He wanted no more of it, he threw it away. "Away with i t ! " 7. He found that old woman. " I will make you a limb, a limb of long twigs." The old woman was pleased and grateful. She said to him, "Very well, grandson! You make me a limb." The man, Wolf, made a limb for the old woman. 10. M o u n t a i n G o a t s g i v e m o u n t a i n f o o t w e a r t o D e e r . 2 1. There were five of them. There was just one woman, their sister. The Mountain Goats spoke. They were five brothers. There was only one woman, their sister. 2. Deer, a man, thought, " I will go away, and I will get the sister of the Mountain Goats. I will take her, that is how I will go and take her." (2) Deer went away, he came where the woman was. She said to him, "How do you happen to have come here?" He said, " I want you." (3) She said to him, "Very well." In the meantime the brothers hunted mountain goats. The mountain goats possessed and preserved a great quantity of food in their house. 3. He returned home. Deer said to the (Deer) brothers, "The woman indicated her assent to me." The oldest brother said, "Very well! Go then." (2) He went, he reached there. The mountain goat brothers were away, and just the woman, she alone, was there. The woman was staying at that place. (3) He reached there. They returned. Their sister said to them, " I have my man (husband) now. He has come." Then, "Very well," they said to her. "Very well. You have your husband now." He became her husband there. 4. He (a mountain goat) said, "You must never follow us like that. We travel in bad places." (2) Deer replied, "But I too will follow." The smallest, youngest brother-in-law said to him, "You must never follow us! The terrain is bad. We travel over rocky places there." (3) He spoke (thus) as many as five times. Then the big one said to him, " I f you desire elk, you may go." That is how the big one spoke to him. He went and followed along. 1 2

The old man, old woman and their children were lawicumkcu'mk, "bumble bees". Told August 1926; interpreter, Peter McGuff.

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5. His older (Deer) brother at home learned of it, he knew about it. He said, ' My younger brother will die. He will fall off the rocks." (2) So his older brother thought. His older brother had learned of it. 6. He followed the mountain goats in their hunting. They went in bad and rocky places. He went half way along the trail, but he could not go down hill. (2) His brothers-in-law deserted him there. He stayed at that place up on the rocks, there was no place he could go to. The youngest Mountain Goat said to his older brothers, "We have treated him badly." (3) That is what he said. " I will go get him myself." His sister said to him, " I will give him a moccasin. You give it to him." (4) The big Mountain Goat said, " I will give him a moccasin myself." And that is what he did. The youngest went, he went away, he took the moccasin with him. (5) He reached him. at the place where he was. He gave the moccasin to his brother-in-law, Deer. He said, " P u t on this moccasin." (6) He replied to him, "Yes,indeed." — "You will be of poor fortune." That is what his brother-in-law said to him. He put on the moccasin. They went away. 7. He went down on the rocks, he did not fall off. He brought him home. "You will never be that way yourself, on the contrary you will travel about in bad places, you will never fall off. That is how you will travel about by means of moccasins. These moccasins we give you." (2) That is how the mountain goat brothers-in-law spoke to Deer. "That is how deer is to be. He will be traveling about in bad places, but he will never fall off." (3) That is how deer are at the present time. The deer travel around now, they never fall off at bad places. 11. E a g l e t r a v e l s w i t h m i s c h i e v o u s w e a s e l . 1 1. There was a man, he had a younger brother weasel. Weasel was eagle's younger brother. No people were at that place, only the two of them, weasel and his brother eagle. (2) People sang (there). Weasel would go away on the trail. Eagle, the older brother, let him be, he was sleeping in the house. The older brother knew about it (weasel's mischievousness). (3) Weasel, the mischievous boy, would go away, he would go wherever the people were singing. He would climb up on the house; there from above weasel (would watch). (4) When the people were singing, weasel would shoot at them, he would jump (down), and run homewards. After singing, 1

Told August 1926; interpreter, Peter McGuff. The Tyigh valley episode (p. 23) occurs also in myth seven, Eyley Jr., p. 118.

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the people died from weasel's shots. Weasel would run into the house. The head man, Eagle, was asleep there. 2. The people searched for him even to there, to that house, but Eagle and his younger brother slept on unaware, they knew nothing (of the search). (2) The people said, "It must have been others." So they made five trails, and they sang. Five people, that many indeed, had died. Then they ceased singing. (3) They found out,1 "That is how the two of them killed the people." The people said, "Now they shall die!" 3. Eagle learned it was thus (to be). His younger brother weasel had nothing to say. The people formed a circle around the house, they were going to kill Eagle and weasel. (2) Eagle learned, "The people are going to kill me." He said to weasel, "Now we," he said, "are (virtually) dead, the people are going to kill us." That is what he told weasel. (3) They reached their house, now the people were going to kill them. Eagle seized weasel, he bore him aloft from the house, he flew away with weasel. 4. He said, "You are a rascal. No longer shall you be my younger brother. Now you also shall travel about on your own. (2) You shall not be my younger brother." So weasel went away. "Very well. I will also travel about." 5. Eagle went to where there was a tall cliff, eagle went to that place. There he made arrow points. Eagle sat (there). Weasel went away. "I will travel about also." (2) Weasel made arrows. He went on. He thought, "I shall go seek my older brother." He went on, and he saw, "There he is seated, my older brother eagle. I will kill the good for nothing fellow right now." (3) He went towards him, he shot at him with arrows, but he (eagle) broke his (arrows).2 Five arrows he (weasel) shot, but he missed. (4) He said to him, "Why do you also want to kill me, weasel ?" Said weasel, "Oh! Could that be you ? I did not recognize you. Is it indeed you, older brother ?" (5) That is how weasel spoke. "Is it indeed you ?" And he said, "Surely, my older brother, we can travel about (together) again." He replied to him, "I do not want you. You are a mischievous fellow, weasel." (6) He said, "Why no! Let us be (together). I will not be mischievous now." That is how he spoke. Then he said to him (agreeing), "Let us go far away." That is what his older brother said to him. 6. The two brothers went on. While going along they saw two very nice women, the two women were going by the lake digging roots. (2) Weasel said to his older brother, "Let us take the two 1 2

From their spirit guardians while singing. Translation uncertain. 3

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women." Eagle said to him, "No! The women belong to a dangerous being; both women belong to the dangerous being. Do not ever do that. Let them be there!" (3) That is how the older brother, eagle, spoke to him. But the mischievous weasel went to the two women. Eagle was angry, he went away. "The devil take him! The devil take the rascal, weasel!" (4) He went to the two women, there the mischievous boy weasel copulated with the two women. Then he left them. He followed his older brother eagle, he caught up to him. (5) He said, "Even though you are eagle, and head man, I copulated with the two women." His older brother said to him, "Do not be afraid that they are the wives of a dangerous being." That is what his older brother told him. 7. They went on, and then the dangerous being pursued them. The dangerous being caught up to them. Weasel was afraid. (2) His older brother said to him, "See here! Why were you mischievous ? The dangerous being will swallow us." That is what his older brother said to him. (3) Weasel wept and wept. Eagle (found) there was a hole for them in a cliff, they went inside the rock there. (4) The dangerous being swallowed them, he swallowed them rock and all. They were down in the dangerous being. Rattlesnake had swallowed them. 8. The mischievous weasel said, " I shall go see what sort of dangerous being this is." He told him, " B e careful!" That is what his older brother told him. (2) The rascally weasel crawled out of the mouth of the dangerous being. He looked, "Oh," (what) he saw (was) very good. (3) He went back inside to his older brother, he told him, "You are a rascal." That is what his older brother told him. (4) He said to his older brother, " I t (the snake) is well marked, we can kill him." He replied to him, " B u t there is no way we can kill him, he is a dangerous being." (5) That is what his older brother said to him. Weasel went outside again, he went to see the dangerous being. He saw, "Evidently the dangerous being died." That is what he saw. 9. He went to his older brother. "We shall skin him. The dangerous being must have died. He choked because of the rock." He told him, "You are too mischievous!" (2) A great deal his older brother said to him, in that vein, for some time. Weasel went out to look. Eagle became tired of it, so he said to him, "All right. I guess you are a rascal. But if that is what you think, then that is what we shall do." (3) They crawled outside, they saw he was striped. "Let us take the skin." They went, they did it, they peeled off the skin, the two brothers rolled it up, and away they went. (4) Eagle carried along the marked skin of the dangerous being. They went on.

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10. They were a long distance away. Weasel said to his older brother, " I shall carry it also." He said to him, " N o ! You are mischievous." That is what he said to him. (2) Weasel kept on being mischievous. H e said to him, "Very well." So then weasel carried it. Eagle walked along, weasel went on behind. (3) He thought, " I shall give eagle a fright." Eagle knew of it. "What can the rascal weasel be thinking of again?" That is how the older brother knew it. (4) Weasel loosened the pack with the marked skin, and he dressed in it, putting it on like a shirt. Then that was how he went along. Loudly he spoke (sounded, or rattled), though at first softly. Then louder he spoke, just as if (it were) a rattlesnake tail placed there. That was how weasel spoke (sounded). (5) The older brother knew. " H e is mischievous again. I will not be at all afraid, but he will be afraid. I am not frightened by anything." So Eagle reflected. (6) He lifted weasel off the ground. Weasel was frightened. He said to eagle, "The dangerous being is taking me up. Older brother! Get m e ! " That is what he said. (7) With one hand he took him, and then dropped him to the ground. He said to him, " Y o u are a rascal." (8) He said to him, "Never again shall you carry it on your back. I will pack it myself." Eagle packed it along. So weasel went on in that manner. 11. The two brothers moved away. They came to where there was a little brook; the two brothers camped over night at that place. (2) Weasel said to him, " W h a t is the name of this country, older brother ? Tell me what is the name of the country." He said to him, " N o indeed! I t has a bad name." (3) Weasel said, "But I want to learn how this country is named." Five times, that many times he spoke to his older brother. He replied then, "Oh, all right!" H e said to him, " I f you are mischievous again, the two of us will not remain together. Now I shall teach you the name of this country."— " V e r y g o o d . " So weaselsaid. (4) The older brother told him, " T h e name of the country is Tyigh (Tyigh Valley, Oregon)." Weasel laughed, "Aha, (that is) a good name!" Weasel ran to get water (crying), "ta'ix ta'ix ta'ix ta'ix ta'ix t a ' i x ! " Eagle felt badly about it. " T h e devil take weasel! He is too rascally. He will float away in this streamlet. He is mischievous." (5) In vain did he tell him, " D o not speak that way! This is a bad country. When you speak like that it will rain, there will be quantities of water." (6) Weasel did not listen, weasel continued mischievous. He ate (saying), "ta'ix ta'ix ta'ix t a ' i x ! " (etc.). 12. Then it rained. The water of the creek flowed on, the water reached them. In the darkness weasel obtained pine bark. There he slept. Water came to that place. (2) Eagle went away, 3*

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eagle stayed high above, he let him go. Weasel drifted away on the bark. 13. He said, ''As far as the land will be, the people who are coming are now nearby. You will be called weasel, the rascal. You will work carelessly at everything. The people will name you weasel, the rascal, in this land."

12. W i l d C a t k i l l s h i s lewd g r a n d m o t h e r , is p u r s u e d b y G r i z z l y woman, a l m o s t r e s c u e d by Mice, then killed.1 1. There were Wild Cat and his grandmother. The grandmother said to him, "Go ask the old man, 'What is this month appearing now ? When is it springtime now ?' Go ask the old man!" (2) He said to her, "Very well." The boy went, he went to ask the old man. He said, "My grandmother told me, 'Go ask what month is it now ? The old man will tell you.'" (3) Said the old man to him, " Y e s ! I know what month it is. Tell your grandmother the month is called to-copulate-copulate-copulate (lie-by-one-another) month. (4) That is how you will tell your grandmother." The boy wept, the boy felt badly about it. He went away and as he went he cried. 2. His grandmother said to him, "How did the old man speak to you?" The boy replied, " Y e s ! This is how he spoke to me. 'In a while you tell your grandmother, This moon appearing now is copulate and copulate (to-lie-together) moon.'" (2) The old woman became angry. "Oh the damned old man! I shall go to the old man." (3) The old woman took her hair braid ornaments, she hung all her valuables from her neck, and she went away, she marched away to the old man's place. 3. When at that place she said to him, "Why did you 'get after' the boy, you rascally old man ?" (2) The old man said to her, "Hush about that! Sit upon (this penis)!" The old woman said to him, "Damn you!" But the old woman went inside to him, and she sat on the old man. 4. She had told the boy, " I f he should throw me down, I shall fall, (with a thud sounding like) sts&i'! If I should throw him down. the old man will fall, ku'h u ' ! When the old man throws me. tca'i'! he will throw me!" (2) The boy heard, "He threw my grandmother, tca'i'!" After a while he heard, ku'h"'--! "My grandmother threw him!" (3) In a little while he heard ku'h u '--! "My grandmother threw the old man!" Some time later he heard, tsa'i'! "He threw my grandmother!" (4) Then five times, he threw and 1

Told September 1927; interpreter, Samson Quaempts.

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threw the grandmother, tsa'i'tsa'i'tsa'i'tsa'i'tsa'i'! the old man threw the grandmother. 5. The boy thought, "He knocked down my grandmother. I shall go see." Slowly the boy went to the house, he peeked in. "Oh! What can possibly have happened with them ? My grandmothei's legs are up in the air, tsa'i'tsa'i'tsa'i' mygrandmother is(sounding)!" (2) The boy went and prepared pitch. " I shall burn it up and set it on fire." He went there. All around the house he placed pitch, and then the boy set it on fire. (3) The grandmother burned up, the old man, house and all, burned up. His grandmother's (bladder) burst (from the heat). He heard, p'a--u' ! (4) "She has exploded!" The boy went away then. " I have set it on fire, and they have burned up." 6. He went away, he went far away. As he went along he found, "Oh dear! They must have thrown away cooked meat, wrapped in fir boughs." (2) He took it, he went on, he took it with him as he went. He came to water. " I shall eat now." At that place he ate. "Oh! there is a lot of fatty meat." (3) He became sleepy. He went to the water and drank, all his teeth came dropping out. The boy looked. "What may that be underneath the water?" He got it (the teeth) and wrapped it up. 7. The boy went on. At that place there he went down below to the river; by the river was a house. He entered it. There was a woman in the house, she said to him, "£•'••, so you have arrived, my husband!" (2) That is how she spoke to him. I t must have been Grizzly woman. She said to him, "Give me those teeth, so they will be mine. Then you will be my husband." (3) That is how she spoke to him. The boy gave her the teeth, and she gave him big teeth. The boy inserted the big teeth of Grizzly in his mouth. The boy slept with Grizzly woman. 8. I t dawned, he went down to the water, he went there. Then he came out of the water. Apparently he had come to the place of another woman's now, to Bear's place. (2) She said to him, "Well, so you have arrived, my husband!" That is how she spoke to him. They had not yet slept, when Grizzly came running there, and threw teeth inside to the boy. "There are your teeth!" (3) The boy took the teeth. The woman (Bear) said to him, " L e t me have them!" The boy gave them to her, and Bear gave him her own teeth. They slept. 9. Well, it dawned. The boy went on towards the river, he went into the water in the river, and from there he came to a different home now. He entered. (2) There was a woman1 with long braids. 1

kwayawiya'i, "Cougar".

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The boy went in there. She said to him, "Well! so you have arrived, my husband!" That is how she spoke to him. (3) They were not yet asleep, when bear ran there and threw teeth inside. "There are yours!" (4) The boy seized them. The woman said to him, "Let me have them!" He gave them to the woman, and she gave him her own teeth. They slept. This was three now. 10. He went on to the water early in the morning, he went into the water, and he came to another home this time. He entered, and lo! another woman.1 She said to him, "So you have arrived, my husband!" (2) That is how she spoke to him. He replied, "Yes, indeed!" She said to him, "So it seems you have indeed come, my husband!" (3) They had not yet slept, when the woman (Cougar) ran up to the house, she threw the teeth to him. "Here are yours!" The boy took them. (4) The woman said to him, "Let me have them!" She gave him her own teeth. They slept. This was the fourth one. 11. He went into the water, he came out, he entered another place this time, "Well, well, there were five women,2 nice and white ones. (2) They said to him, "So you have arrived, our husband!" The woman (Otter) ran to there, she threw in the teeth to the boy. "Here are your teeth! Return them to me!" The boy returned the teeth, those first ones of Grizzly. (3) "Oh! She is angry. I will kill the damned thing." Bear knew of it. She went away, into the water to bathe. (4) Darkness came on. The Mice said, "Let us kill Grizzly, let us carry away the man." They dug there at that underground house, they dug a hole,3 and then the five Mice carried away the man. 12. Meantime Grizzly was mad. Grizzly charged at Bear's place, but she was no longer there. Again (she charged) at another one, at that place she killed her. (2) Again (she charged) at another, at that place she killed her. Again at another, there she killed her. Then to the place of the Mice there, but they were gone. (3) She sought them all over, but nowhere was there a trace, she went here and there, she went out of her mind, she was unable to search out where the Mice could have taken the man. 13. After a long while she found, "Oh, here is where they have a hole in the ground." She followed, she went on so far, she dug through and out. (2) Nothing there, so she went on. They found out, "The dangerous being is following us." The sisters dug. Meantime the oldest was coming along to the rear with the man, 1 2 3

nukca'i, "otter". laka'ya, "Mouse". The holes made by the mice can be seen today near Trout Lake, near Mt. Adams.

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and Grizzly overtook them. (3) She (Mouse) gave the man to her sister, while Grizzly killed her. Again she followed them. "She has overtaken me!" (4) She (Mouse) gave the man to her sister, at that place Grizzly killed her. Again she followed them. "She has overtaken me!" She gave the man to her sister, she (Grizzly) killed her. (5) She followed them. There were only two more to carry away the man. She gave him to her sister, she gave the man to the last and youngest sister. She brought him out of the ground, went on, climbed high above and at that place sat down. 14. At that place was a lake.1 Grizzly was tired now. Grizzly became dry, hot, exhausted. "I am thirsty." 2 She went down to the water, she waded there in the water, she saw them, "Yonder they are, underneath." (2) There Grizzly went out of her mind about what to do. She did not really see them, they did not heed, they were yonder in fact, high above, and they were laughing. (3)They said to her, "What is the trouble with you now, Grizzly?" Then she saw them. "They must be yonder, indeed, high above." (4) She said, "Oh dear, little sister, I have been seeking you for so long.2 I shall climb up." They «said to her, "Why, all right. Climb up!" Then, "All right!" Grizzly climbed up. 15. She reached that place. "u-"huc--, I am tired, sister. You look for my head lice, they are eating on me." She replied to her, "Very well." (2) Mouse looked for her head lice. "You have no head lice at all. What you have here indeed are dangerous things, toads." "No! little sister. Those are my head lice, give them to me!" She gave them to her. (3) Grizzly bit and chewed the toads. "Now I myself shall look on your (head)." Then, "Very well." She looked for hers also. (4) Mouse fell asleep, and then she seized her, off came her head! She threw her down to the lake. She seized the man (wild cat), she killed them both, she threw them down to the lake. Grizzly killed them all. 16. That's all now.

13. U g l y W i l d C a t t r i c k i l y m a r r i e s t h e c h i e f ' s d a u g h t e r , b e c o m e s h a n dsome, saves s t a r v i n g people.3 1. There were a great many people. There was the head man; he announced, "There will be power singing." The people sang power songs, the followers of the head man sang. (2) "The power 1 3

2 Steamboat Lake. Basso monotone. Told December 1928; interpreter, Sam N. Eyley Jr., at Morton in December 1931.

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singing will be for five nights." They sang power songs, and when it was not yet the fifth night (the following occurred). 2. The head man had an unmarried daughter. She was one who sang her power song. Wild Cat was (there) himself, he was ugly to look at. (2) The one who was that unmarried girl said, "There is no one who could possess me." He (Wild Cat) went. When they were singing their power songs, Wild Cat thought, "I will go myself and see how they are singing the power songs." (3) Wild Cat knew (what he could do). He went, he climbed on top of the house, from up above he looked in through the smoke hole, when he looked he saw the unmarried girl singing her power song, she was standing and singing. (4) Wild Cat reflected, "I will spit down into the unmarried girl." The unmarried girl was singing her power song, the unmarried girl sang looking up above, Wild Cat spit right into the unmarried girl's mouth, he spit into the unmarried girl. Then Wild Cat went away, he went back to his own house. 3. They sang power songs for five nights, in that duration of time the unmarried girl became with child, in her belly. When they quit on the fifth night, the unmarried girl had become with child, in her belly. (2) The unmarried girl realized then, "How is it that I have become with child ? No man has ever slept with me." (3) That is what the unmarried girl thought, the unmarried girl was exceedingly ashamed. When the infant in her belly became large, the unmarried girl gave birth to the child. 4. The people learned, "The unmarried girl gave birth to an infant! Who could have taken her secretly?" So the people spoke. (2) When she had given birth to the infant, the baby cried continually, nothing could stop the baby's crying. The head man said, "You are to gather together, all my people!" That is what they did. (3) When they had assembled, the head man said, "If you hold it, and the infant becomes quiet, and does not cry, it will be yours then, and the woman (too)." (4) That is what the head man said, and all the people did it, but no, the baby continued to cry. All of them as many kinds of people as there were, could not do it. 5. They found out that Wild Cat himself was the only remaining one. He considered, "It must be my own child indeed." That is what Wild Cat thought. (2) "Well, I will go myself and see what has occurred at that meeting of theirs." Wild Cat went, he entered the place there, he saw, "There are a great many people." (3) That baby was crying, all sorts of persons were holding it in vain, they failed, they passed the baby around. As many people as there were, but in vain. (4) There old man Wild Cat himself sat down. The head man said, "How about Wild Cat himself holding it like that ?"

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The unmarried young woman thought, "Wild Cat never could have done it to me, Wild Cat is an ugly old man to appearances, he is not (the man) for me." (5) So thought the unmarried woman. They were passing the child around; one after another held it, but the infant continued to cry. (6) "Now let Wild Cat himself hold it!" ' 'Ah! Poor wretched me hold the child in my ugly hands!"—"Take it anyway!" They gave it to him. "Very well! I'll take it!" (7) They gave him the infant, the moment Wild Cat took it, the infant became silent, from its crying. 6. A great number of the people (relatives) were abashed. The people (said), "Oh dear! He has taken our woman." The woman was very much ashamed. (2) "That obviously hideous old man, scarred all over, did not do it to me anywhere, and I could never have had his child!" That is what the woman thought. (3) The head man was exceedingly ashamed. The head man said then, "All my people make preparations, we are going to desert them. I do not want my child, (and) the ugly old man." That (head) man went out. (4) "Away with them now!" Wild Cat thought nothing of it. He said to the woman, "Do not ever feel badly about it. Never mind now! when they desert us. Never mind!" (5) That is how he spoke to the woman. All the people left them, they were left, they were alone now. 7. He said to the woman, " I am going to make a sweat house, I will sweat five days." That is what he said to the woman. That is how Wild Cat made the sweat house, and sweated five days. (2) There had been three (days), on the fourth day the woman saw, 'Oh dear! what a very fine man is coming out of the sweat house! according to appearances the man's hair is fine, to appearances he is clean." (3) The woman thought, " I t must be that another and different man has come to me from some place." So thought the woman. When it was the fifth day, then, " I will cease sweating now." (4) He came out, he shook the dust from his garments, he hung up his wild cat clothes, he hung them up, he shook and shook them. (5) The woman saw, "Goodness indeed! he has a number of garments." The man took them, he went back to the house, he took the clothes inside. (6) He said to her, "Here you are! do not ever feel badly about it." That is how he spoke to the woman. 8. They slept through one night. Wild Cat went away to hunt; he shot and killed a deer, he brought it back. "Oh! quantities of food!" There was a great amount of food. (2) The boy child became tall, the boy played. (They had) a great amount of food and meat. 9. All those people were poor and wretched now; they were starving, there was no kind of food, they became poor (in physical

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condition). Wild Cat knew it, he thought, "All the people of the head man have become poor." (2) I do not know what Buzzard himself thought. (3) He went to see, and I do not know how he found it out, but when he arrived back, "Yes, yes. The boy is already tall, they have quantities of food, it is no longer that poor Wild Cat, to appearances it is a strong and active man, and no longer that Wild Cat." (4) The woman said, " I will share our food with you," to Buzzard. She gave him a small amount of food, he took it home, he informed them, "Oh those people live very nicely, those whom we deserted. (5) They have quantities of food." And all the people of the head man were starving. 10. The head man said, " Y o u yourself, Little Weasel, are to go to see your older brother." Little Weasel went, he went to see Wild Cat, he arrived, "Oh! they have quantities of food." (2) He said to him, " H o w are you getting along in your wanderings, my younger brother?" He replied to him, " T h e head man told me, ' Go visit him!' and so I have come to see you there."(3) Then, " Yes! I am well off now. There is nothing the matter with me." He gave him food. (4) Little Weasel carried that back home to the head man's place, and he related all to the head man. "That is how he is." 11. The head man said to him, " Y o u will go now, (to learn) how he will speak. If he tells me (affirmatively), then I will return home directly." (2) Weasel went, he reached Wild Cat's place, he said to him, "That is how the head man has sent me as messenger. (3) If you say that the head man may come back home, he will bring home all the people." He said to him, " I f he himself decides, 'I will go home now,' he may come home." (4) That is how the older brother spoke to him. And then that is what he told the head man. "That is how he spoke." 12. That is what they did then. He brought all the people back home. Wild Cat prepared as many houses as there were, full of food for them. (2) The people reached that place, (there was) a great amount of food, they lived well on the quantities of food of Wild Cat's. The head man became well again. (3) That one was not (the ugly) Wild Cat, Wild Cat was a better (person) now. 14. T h e D o g s m a k e w a r m e r

weather.1

1. There were people, many people. A cold winter came, and the people became hungry. Every stream froze. There was no food, all 1

Told June 1929; interpreter, J. J. Spencer. Compare the better version of the next myth, which was rendered by Mr. Hunt nine months previously.

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the food of the people was used up. (2) They said, ' There will be power singing. Whoever knows (has a power) will sing. Then the snow will become warm. It is all frozen hard now, the snow is icy. There is no way to get about. The people are starving." That is how they spoke. 2. Then they all sang power songs, as many as were birds, also those who were bear, grizzly, coyote, all the bluejays, as many as were the people who lived on the land. (2) But they could not accomplish it. Then the water-dwelling people, all the different kinds of fish (sang). But neither did they do it. The land froze even worse. 3. All five of them (were there), they were nobodies (of low class), they were five brothers, Dogs. Unconcerned, the Dog brothers lay there. The chief said to them, "Say! What do you know, indeed? You yourselves shall sing your power song!" (2) Said the oldest, "Very well! But what do you think about this, younger brothers ? We ourselves will merely go on and sing (though it be in vain), younger brothers." (3) They said, "How could we accomplish it by singing ? So many of the people have been singing already, and they have accomplished nothing." 4. " 'When we have finished singing our power song, next day we shall ascend the mountain.1 When dawn comes, we shall be on top of the mountain. (2) Then if we have been successful, mist will settle along the mountain ridge, when dawn comes. That is when you will hear us. Then you will note they are coming, deer will be coming below. (3) You will watch carefully, you will kill them. Very likely you will be having food to eat then.' That is what I shall tell the people before going." That is how Dog spoke. 5. "Let us sing our power song, my younger brothers!" The brothers sang, "naxali-'tokwa xwitpa'quxma tcawa"wa"wa-'."2 The brothers sang their power song. Dawn came. They prepared to leave where they were singing. "Let us sing as we go mountain -

The oldest Dog brother tells his younger Dog brothers what he intends to say to the people. 2 Mrs. Hunt recorded this song on an Ediphone record (Washington State Museum, 14 : 14510 : 1) ; transcription of this and other Washington tribal music has not been made at the present writing. The words used by Mrs. Hunt in this song are inserted in the text of Mr. Hunt at the proper place. Mr. Hunt did not halt to sing the song during his rendition of the myth. 1

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wards. Watch carefully!"1 (2) They went on to the mountain, they climbed it. Quickly the land became warm, and the ice in the river (thawed). It became daylight. 6. They heard, "Now they may be heard coming! Along the mountain ridge mist is coming! Quickly, suddenly, warmer snowis coming! The brothers are bringing deer below now!" (2) The people lay in wait for them beneath.1 At that place the Dog brothers killed the deer coming.1 They killed many deer. The people had plenty to eat. (3) The snow became warmer, it did not become cold again, it became constantly warm, it became spring time. There was a lot of food for the people. 7. That is how the Dogs were with their power song, they too were singers having a power song.1

15. The D o g s m a k e w a r m e r w e a t h e r ( s e c o n d v e r s i o n ) . 2 1. There were many people. There was a lot of snow, it lay a long time on the ground. All the people starved, the food was all gone. Then some of them died. (2) They said, "Let us sing power songs! Gather together! We shall sing! Then it may become warm weather. It will rain." That is what the people did. They sang power songs. (3) All of them, as many as there were of the different kinds of birds here, also the fish, and also the roots, and berries and fruits, all of them were persons, all of them sang power songs. (4) But it had no effect, the ice of the river remained the same, the snow was unchanged, there was ice (icicles) on the trees. 2. There were five Dog brothers indeed, five brothers. They told them, "How does it happen that you appear unconcerned about it ? Now you just try and sing too!" The oldest (Dog) spoke. (2) He said to his younger brothers, "Now! My younger brothers! Just let us too have a try at singing!" — "Very well!" The brothers said, "Let us sing also, anyhow!" The brothers sang their power song. 3. The oldest one said, "Supposing we get through singing our power song, and if it should be that we perhaps have (done so) in vain, then that is how we ourselves are. (2) Wherever there are mountains, there we always sing of the mountains. At that place our song is, upon the mountains. Our song echoes from the moun1 2

The words of the dogs, in quotes, are chanted in accentless monotone. Sentences not in quotes are also chanted. This is a better recounting of the myth above, and was dictated in October 1928. Mr. Hunt was unusually dramatic in his recital and dictation. J. J. Spencer interpreted.

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tains. 1 (3) That is how we will just t r y to go and sing (though it will probably be in vain). If it will follow us, then the sky (weather) may change." T h a t is how the oldest one spoke. 4. The brothers sang their power song. They said, "When we finish, dawn will come. Then we will go away, singing, mountainwards. That is how our custom is." " D a w a ' ' w a ' 'wa-' Dawa' 'wa' 'wa-', x a l i ' l a - k w a - - xali-'la-kwa--. iDwi-'xi-la- iDwi 'xi-la- iDwi 'xi-la-." 2

T h a t is how the Dog brothers, the five brothers, sang their power song. So doing they went away mountainwards. Mist came. 5. Their power song came on the mountain ridges. 3 This is how the five brothers had spoken before going, "Supposing we drive deer this way, watch out! (2) When they come down this way, there will be snow, the snow will turn to water, rain will come. The snow will become water. We shall bring them, we shall lead the deer down this way, and we shall kill them. (3) We shall have enough to eat, never again shall we hunger. The snow will have disappeared, it will become w a r m . " 6. That is how the Dogs did it. I t rained. They brought down the deer, they killed a lot of food, there was deer meat forthepeople. (2) They did not hunger. I t rained, all the snow, all the ice flowed away. The land became warm, spring came. 7. That is how the Dogs sang their song. 16. H i s d a u g h t e r m a k e s S u n f o r e g o h u m a n f o o d . 4 1. There were many people. There were two brothers. There was a chief. He had many people. I suppose it was in this river there was an island, at t h a t place was a woman. (2) All the men failed t o approach her, she did not want any of the people, nor did she desire people of foreign origin. Two of them were brothers. (3) The older brother said to him, " I am going to go to the woman myself." The younger brother said to him, "Very well! Go now!" (4) When it became dark, the man went. He crossed over to the island by canoe. That was the place where the woman was. 2. He went ashore to the house, he knocked, the woman arose, she opened the door for him. The man entered through the door, 1 2 3

It appears that the weather guardian spirit of the dogs is the echo across the mountain valley. See footnote 2 on p. 31. See footnote 1. on page] 32. The remainder of the paragraph is virtually4 chanted. Told October 1928; interpreter J. J. Spencer.

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in the rear of the room the man was already sitting! (2) The woman looked for him, but could not see him. She turned, she saw the man coolly sitting there. She said to him. "Why have you come to me in this manner?" (3) The man replied, "Indeed! I have not come without reason. I have been wanting you to be my wife." That is how the man spoke to the woman. (4) The woman remained silent. She said to him, "Come back again after a while. Then I will tell you how (yes or no). Return home now!" 3. The man went away, he returned home. He stayed two nights. He told his younger brother, "That is how the woman spoke to me. I am going again." (2) The man went away. In the very same manner he arrived at the house. He knocked at the door, the woman arose and opened the door for him. Nothing there! She shut it. The woman turned. (3) Unconccrncd, the man was seated there, to all appearances he had come inside some time before. She said to him, "How do you happen to be here ?" "Why indeed! You told me, 'Return today.' And so now I have come here to you." 4. The man's hair was long. The woman said to him, "Give me that hair of yours. Cut your own hair and give it to me. Then we shall be two (man and wife)." (2) The man replied, "Why indeed should I give it to you ? I want what I have. I do not have my hair in order to cut it. I want it myself. Why should I give it to you ?" (3) The woman said to him, "Since you want it, then indeed I do not desire you at all." The man remained silent, he said nothing. (4) Then he said, "Since you speak the truth, I will give it to you. You will cut it for me yourself." That is how he spoke to the woman. (5) The woman said, "Very well!" She took his hair, she cut his long (hair), she took it to the side of the room, she laid it away. She said to him, "Return home, and come here tomorrow." That is how the woman spoke to him. "At that time you are to come to my place." 5. The man went home. He reached his younger brother's, and told him, "That is how the woman spoke to me. She took my hair." That is how he told his younger brother. "Tomorrow I shall go to the woman's place." Next day he went away. 6. He reached the woman's place. He knocked at the door, the woman opened it. The man had already entered. Unconcernedly he was sitting there. The woman did not see him. She turned, she saw him sitting there unconcernedly. She spoke to him. (2) She took the hair, and she said to him, "I suppose you want to take this ? Well, I am returning it to you. Take it home with you! You would not give it to me anyway, so that we might become two (man and wife). Take it home! I suppose you came to get it. Take it home!"

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(3) The man was exceedingly ashamed of himself. He took it, went out, he took it home, he brought it back to his younger brother's place. Not a thing did he say to his younger brother. (4) He lay down, he went to sleep, during five days he did not get up. Then he awoke. He went down to the water, he swam in the water. His hair was long now. He went ashore. 7. He told his younger brother about it. "That is how the woman treated me." The people had no knowledge at all of what had been happening. He said to his younger brother, "You must help me. We will make arrows." (2) The younger brother said to him, "Very well!" He made arrows, he cut many of them. Two arrows he set upright. Where the two were he piled them (the arrows) up full (in between). He wrapped them (with wi'pt, hazel sprout ropes) in five bundles. (3) He said to his younger brother, " I am going to leave you now. I am going to go far away, to where the sun rises, that is where I shall go. As for this feather which I am setting up here, you will watch this feather. (4) If it should fall, you will think, 'Surely my older brother has died somewhere.' That is how you will think. But if during five years it does not fall, I shall be coming home. (5) I shall see you then, my younger brother." That is how he spoke to his younger brother. But he did not speak to his people, he said nothing. 8. He went to a country far away, he went eastwards. He would go so far along, then he would stick one arrow into the ground, so far along he would go, and he would place another arrow in the ground, until all those five arrow bundles were gone. 9. He went on. He went on and came to where a certain place was. He knew exactly where to go to. He knew where it was he had arrived. There was a house, and he went there, to the house. (2) The woman went out to him at once. She said to him, "How is it that you have come, my husband? Hurry! come! Come inside into the house! Do not stand so long there!" The man went, he entered the woman's house. (3) She said to him, "My father is a dangerous being.1 Watch yourself carefully. I know the land from which you have come." That is how the woman spoke to him. (4) She said to him, " I will keep you in hiding. My father will be coming home pretty soon. He might kill you, and then he would eat you. See! That is his house. (5) The bones of persons are piled up there." That is how the woman spoke to the man. " I will hide you." The woman hid the man. 1

Her father is anya'i, " S u n " . Later a younger brother of Sun enters the narrative; he is alxaixya'i, "Moon".

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10. When it became dark he (her father) would arrive. After, when it became daylight, he would go as far as the land lies. He would always go over it there. That was how he had his work. (2) At some place on his way along he would kill a person, he would bring him back. "My father is a dangerous being." That is how she spoke to him. ''Do not worry!" That is how the woman spoke to the man. "Later on you will see. but not just now." He remained until daylight. 11. He (Sun) arrived. He said to her, 'Do not say. 'No!' Say 'Yes' to me! 'A person came here, it is he I am hiding.' That is the way you will speak to me!" (2) His daughter said to him, "Yes! Now I am constantly telling you, your querying makes me tired. But I will tell you. A man did come, indeed, and I want him to be mine." (3) That is how the woman spoke to her father. He said to her, "Well, I will look at him before I go. Then I will soon be off." That is how the father spoke to the woman. The woman pondered. "Perhaps he may kill my (husband). Maybe he is lying to me." (4) That is how she feared her father. But he said to her, "I will not do anything to your (husband). Since you desire your (husband). I would never kill your (husband)." (5) That is how the father spoke to the woman. She brought the man out into view, Sun saw him. "Clearly he must have come here from a long distance away, (6) from as far as the land lies. Certainly that is where he came from." That is what sun supposed. He said to her. "Very well! He is yours. I shall not do anything to your (husband), my child." He left them. Sun came this way, he came towards the earth. 12. The woman said to the man, "You must not eat what my father has for food. That is what my father eats (he eats humans)." So she told the man. (2) "I will make you a spear. You will go down to the water in this river, you will see there are fish in the river here. You will spear one of them, you will bring it back home, and we two will eat it. That is food." (3) The man felt as she did about it. The woman made a spear for him. He went down to the river, lie saw there were Chinook salmon in the water. He speared one, and he brought it back to the woman's place. (4) He said to her, "See! This is food. Persons, they will not be (food)." He and his wife ate. They hid all of it. "My father might see it. He would not like it of us." So the woman thought. 13. She said to him, "You must go again. I will make an arrow for you. You will ascend this mountain, you will see there are deer, you will shoot one, you will bring back the meat, you will eat it." (2) "Yes," replied the man. The woman made an arrow for him. She said to him. "You will ascend at this place." (3) At that place

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t h e m a n went a n d climbed to the top, and he saw, "There are deer." Sure enough he killed one. He took the meat, he brought it home t o t h e woman's place. He ate the meat. This is how the woman spoke to him. (4) "This will be food in this country, as far as the land lies. This will be food. If I do not get rid of t h a t (human) food of m y father's, my f a t h e r and I will have to quarrel about i t . " So she spoke to the man. 14. Sure enough, sun returned home. He said t o her, "Ah, my child! what has an odor in your house ?" (2) She said to him, "Yes, I now have this for my food. I tell you, in no long time the land will be changed, people will be there. T h a t is where you will do work for t h e people. Nevermore will you eat people. (3) Your idea is quite wrong. 1 T h a t is how (the people in) the land speaks (think). Wherever you have been going, you must now quit such (human) food. They (the foods) will be your own children in t h e future, when t h e land has been changed." (4) T h a t is how his child spoke to sun. He argued with her a long while, b u t her father could not get the b e t t e r of her (in argument). She won over him. 15. She told him, " F r o m now on eat this food. Nothing will h a p p e n to you. This is fish, this is deer, this is what will be food now, when t h e land has been changed. There will be people for all time, on your road, as far as the land lies." (2) So she and her f a t h e r argued. Sun ate the fish and deer. He said, "Very well! You speak truly, m y child. If I do it right, I shall never become lost. Everything will be completed now. I agree with you, my child." T h a t is how he spoke to her. 16. They had a boy child, and they had a girl child. 2 Sun was exceedingly glad about it. "Now I hold my girl child in respect. I t will be an i m p o r t a n t law, when the land will have changed itself. (2) There will be different people. The land will be illuminated with m y child." T h a t is how Sun thought. 17. His child knew his thoughts. "My father is thinking rightly now. H e has no longer brought his (human) food, he eats salmon a n d m e a t n o w . " (2) She told him, " T h a t is how it will be, when the children 3 of this land grow up. This is the food a man will eat. Deer and fish will be older brother to them, fruits, berries and roots will be their older sisters, as far as the land lies. (3) I n future, people will grow because of t h e m . " T h a t is how the woman spoke. 1 2 3

Literally, big like wrong your heart. Grandchildren of Sun. Their birth makes Sun feel proud of his daughter. When the roots, berries, fish, deer come. They will be the children of the land, children of Sun. The people, the Indians, will call them older brother and older sister. 4

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18. " I am going to go now." She said to the man, "Let us return to where you came from. Your younger brother is waiting for you. Let us go home now." (2) So she spoke to the man. He replied to her, "Very well!" She said to her father, " I shall go by water. Make a canoe for me. That is what I shall go with." Her father said to her, "Very well!" (3) He made a canoe for her. Her father gave her a little something, he made a pack for her. 19. " I shall tell how you are to go, here where the land is. This land is surrounded by water. You will go around this land in the water, from the place where I always complete my journey. That is where you will enter into this little stream." (2) That is how he spoke to her. He whose name is moon (Sun's younger brother) spoke. " I will take them myself, I will watch them on their way. Nothing will happen to them." That is how Moon spoke. (3) "You (Moon) will go in night time. All day long I myself will take them." And, to be sure, he (Moon) did take them as if they were his own children. The older brother of Moon was Sun. (4) He would go about in the night time, and Sun in the daytime. He slept all night. Moon went all through the night. That is how the two brothers worked. 20. They came there, the man and his wife came around to there by canoe. As they went along the canoe grew, it became large. They came to where this stream empties. There they set up a large pole. (2) A great and important law1 she made it. "This is as far as my father will go. He will never cross over this land. Similarly, the sun will come so far, from the east. And again, he wall travel above through the sky, to where I, his child, will be." (3) That is how she set this great law at that place. They entered this stream, they came to where his people and his younger brother were, the place from which he had gone. 21. His younger brother learned, "My older brother has come." He did not inform the people about it. They arrived. When it dawned, the man knew, "My older brother has arrived." (2) He went down to the water. He saw him. The man went out. He said to him, "Come aboard, my younger brother!" He laid a plank over to the shore for him. He went on it to his older brother. (3) His two children were there. He said to him, " I have come back home, my younger brother. You must tell all our people now. You will bring them down to the water tomorrow. And how is that woman ? " 2 (4) He replied to him, "Why yes! She is all right." He said to him, 1 2

Because it is the place where the sun is to set in future. The first woman of this myth.

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"As many relatives as there are of the woman, indeed they are not to come. Leave all the relations of the woman. (5) Not until after all our own relatives (have come), then later the woman may bring her own relatives." That is how he spoke to his younger brother. "Very well!" 22. He said to his people, "That one who has come is no dangerous being, it is my older brother returning. All of you will come down to the water, I will take you to the water." That is how he spoke to his people. They said to him, "Very well." 23. There was also a person who dwelt here, who was a chief. The chief said, "You may go down to the water." All the people went down to the water. And then the woman came out, the children, and the man. (2) He gave all his people little things. He told them, "As many as there are of those relatives of the woman, let her bring them afterwards, herself." (3) That woman was quite anxious to see him. She did not think, "That man who has returned is the one." The woman was very anxious to see him. They told her people, and they took her to that place. (4) The man came out. He said to them, "Come! Walk upon this (plank) to the canoe. You have been wanting to see me for a long time." The woman thought directly, " I do want to see him." (5) The canoe became a little farther away. He said to her, "Come aboard now!" The woman walked aboard, she had gone half way, when the canoe moved, and the woman fell into the water. 24. He said to her, "You treated me exceedingly badly. I suppose you have been thinking, 'I shall never have a man, I shall be without a man now.' (2) But the land will become different, there will be different people. Everything is ready. I t will be named so, here. That is the law I bring from the east. You caused me to go find it, and I have found it is wonderful, when it will have become a different land, with different kinds of peoples. They will name you 'black dress.' (3) That is what your heart and life will be. You will never accept a man, but you will also be strong in power." That is the way he spoke to all her people. (4) As many as there were of them, he gave them nothing, he turned them away (without gifts). "You will be different from these people. (5) These many are my own people now. Never at any time will the moon, sun or stars weaken, the land will have life because of them, it will lie there for the people." 25. That is all now.

4«

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17. M o o n t r a n s f o r m e r t e a c h e s d o m e s t i c c r a f t s and k i l l s d a n g e r o u s beings.1 1. Moon was half way along on his way, he came in this direction. He reached a place where there was a river, people were at that place, wretched folk, with no food, nothing to eat. (2) He went on, he reached there. He saw they were wretched people, with no fire wood, with nothing to eat. They did not cook food. (3) He looked at them. " I will go fetch fire wood." He said, " I will give you fire wood. You are not to dance when cooking food, (you must) not do it that way. (4) Soon the people will be coming and be nearby, the people will reach here pretty soon. They will not dance (to cook), no! They will make fire, cook food, and eat it by means of the fire. (5) They will cook food. That is how it will be later on, when there will be people." That is how he gave (them) fire wood. He left them, he went on. 2. He came to miserable folk, (they had) no water. He said, " G o fetch water!" They replied to him, " N o ! (There is) a dangerous being in the water, the dangerous being kills every one of us and eats us up." (2) And they said to him, " G o see what sort of dangerous being it is! You go fetch water!" He went away, he went to fetch water. (3) He took a pole, at that place he fashioned a spear head on the pole. He went to fetch water, and he took it (the spear) with him. (4) I t (the dangerous being) saw him from the stream, the dangerous being followed him. Moon saw it, and killed the dangerous thing. (5) I t was quite evidently a white salmon, it was no dangerous being he had killed. He took it along, he roasted the salmon for food. All the people ate it. (6) He said, "That is how, later on, when the people have come, that is how they will obtain food in the water. There will be no sort of dangerous being (in the stream). In future it will be food." (7) That is how he spoke. Then he left. That is how the people obtained white salmon. 3. Moon went on, he came to where there were people. A boy was on the opposite side of the river. He (moon) shouted, "Come across!" He (the boy) did not reply at all. (2) The boy became angry, he took the canoe, he carried it to the house, he took it inside. Moon went across the river in a single long stride. The boy had gone to the house, the boy sat there. (3) He (moon) said, " W h y did you not get m e ? " The boy became angry. Moon seized the boy, he stood before him, seized him, and tied the boy with a rope. Moon pretty nearly killed him. (4) He (the boy) had two animals, one 1

Told July 1926; interpreter, Peter McGuff.

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was here, one here,1 two dogs (they were). One was named mi'uwiu,2 the other was named xaluwuti's---.3 He stood up. (5) They bit him (moon) all over. Moon became "alive" (with "power"). The boy went away, crossed over, saying nothing.4 Then moon killed the boy. (6) There were many houses.4 The boy became of no account, he was (no longer a) dangerous being. Moon said, "Nowhere will you be a dangerous being. (7) After a while people will come. For some time they will be sick to the stomach, and then it will all come out of their stomachs. Then they will get well, they will not die. (8) That is how the people will be." That is how moon spoke to the boy, he killed him and left him. 4. He came to there (to another place). While going along he saw a wretched person, a dangerous being (a louse) carried him, led him to the water. He saw it, and he said, "Why are you like that ?" (2) He replied to him, "He (does it) to me and to all the people, that is what the dangerous being does." Moon took him, dusted him off, and said, "You will not be like that! I will wash you." (3) He took him, he washed, he made soap. "In future you will shampoo." That is how he did it. He washed him. That is how all the people were. (4) He made combs, and gave them to them, and they all combed themselves. I t seems that lice had been carrying them to the water, and throwing them into the water. They did it to all the people. The lice had been killing them. (5) But Moon made it right. He said, " I t will not be that way in future. The people coming are nearby. Afterwards, when they arrive, a louse will not be a dangerous being, no indeed! (6) There will be people. When there are lice on a (person's) head, they will take this (soap), they will wash their heads, they will take a comb, they will comb themselves, they will become clean." (7) That is how moon spoke. That is how those people were. That is how moon made it right. He left there. 5. He reached (a place where) tiny folk were running along. Many children were going after grass. While at the same time a dangerous being was making fire and heating rocks.5 (2) When they brought it (the grass), the dangerous being would bake those little folk, and it would eat them up. Moon said (to the t'at'ali'ya, Soft Basket Person), "Why do you do that?" (3) I t replied to him, "That is what I like best to eat." So it replied to him. Moon did not think well of that, and so he said, "Let us leap across the fire, let us jump A dog was under each armpit. This dog is really a grizzly. 3 And this dog is a -wolf. 4 This episode is obscure because of unsatisfactory interpreting. ' This dangerous being is one of the t'at'ali'ya, "Soft Basket Persons". 1

2

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Sahaptin

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over it." (4) I t said to him. "Oh no!" Moon said, "See here! That is how I am used to doing. I leap across fire." The dangerous being, the Soft Basket Person, talked and explained to moon. (5) It said. " N o ! " But moon (insisted), "Let us do it that way." It replied to him, "Very well then. I agree with you." (6) Moon said, "Ready now! You leap first over the fire!" The dangerous being said to him, "Oh no!" I t feared moon. So moon leaped across the fire. (7) Then he said, "Ready! N o w y o u t o o ! " I t said to him, "Oh no!" He said to it, "Speed it up!" The dangerous being leaped then, moon caught it by the leg, the dangerous being fell into the fire. He held it there in the fire with a stick. (8) He said, " I t must not be like that in future. The people coming are nearby now, and it must not be that way when the people come, you will not be a dangerous being in this land." That is how he spoke to it. 6. That is the way moon planned how all sorts of things should be. At present it is his law, moon's, that goes on in that manner. (2) That is how he did it for the people, he did it well, that is how moon did for this whole land, since that time it has been that way. 7. That is all of that now.

18. S k u n k loses h i s musk sac. 1 1. There was skunk, there was his wife, there was their child, all in one house. Skunk said he was going to the creek, fish for trout, and bring them home. (2) He said he was going to give them (to the woman at) to the neighboring house. Skunk wanted that woman very much. Skunk became very angered then, because the woman did not want him. (3) Wolf came there and took skunk's sister-in-law, he carried her away. When skunk arrived, the woman, his sister-in-law, was no longer there. (4) Skunk became angry. He told his wife, " I am going to go follow the woman. I may be gone five years, then I may overtake her somewhere." That is how he spoke to his wife. " I am going now." 2. Skunk followed the woman. He went away. They learned, "Skunk is following us. Hurry faster!" They went on, rapidly, for three years. Then they caught up to skunk.2 They became frightened. (2) " W e will waylay him in a bad, rocky place." There they lay in wait for skunk. He had nearly caught up to them, and there they waylaid him. (3) That was where Skunk was coming Told August 1926; interpreter, Peter Me Guff. Compare the Hunt version in Northwest Sahaptin Texts, 1, p. 207. - Rather, Mr. Hunt should have said that skunk caught up to them.

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along. There they gave skunk a sudden scare, skunk tumbled off the cliff, and skunk's musk sac fell out of him. Skunk lost consciousness. 3. Skunk revived at that place. He was very angry now. He went far away. He said, " I am going far away." Skunk went away. Then he became hungry for food. (2) As he was going along he found strawberries that were ripening, so there Skunk ate strawberries. There were not enough. He saw he was merely spilling the strawberries. (3) He thought, "Apparently my rectum is an (open) hole." He took grass, plugged himself, and ate strawberries. He fed well then, and had enough. 4. He went on. In that manner he came to where "People are having a fine time with my musk sac. I will get back my sac." That is what Skunk thought. He hid himself at that place. (2) The people played with the sac. There he buried himself, there he took back his sac. The people feared him. (3) "He has taken the sac from us." That is what the people said. "Skunk has become one to whom nothing can be said." So the people spoke, they feared him. 5. But skunk went away. " I am going away." He went, and came to where there was a large river, and waded across the river there. Skunk drifted away in the river waters. (2) There was nothing for skunk to take hold of. That is how it befell skunk. He never returned to the place from which he had come, he disappeared. 6. And that is all of that woman of skunk's. 19. F l y i n g s q u i r r e l . H e d e v o u r s p e r s o n s c a m p i n g overnight.1 1. There were five brothers. The oldest went away to hunt, it rained, he saw, " A fine tree is standing there. I will camp here overnight." He went to that place, there he made camp for the night. (2) It was not yet late at night when he lay down. I t descended towards him, there a person called out to him, "Are you asleep now?" "Yes," he retorted. (3) More time passed, it descended towards him, called out to him, "Are you sleeping yet ?" "Yes," he responded in a low voice now. And then he fell asleep. (4) It descended towards him, it called out to him. Silence! He did not reply to it at all now. The dangerous being thought, "He seems to be asleep." (5) Then it came down to him, the dangerous being ate him up. It carried him aloft, only bones of him were left there. 1

Told March 1928; interpreter, Sam N. Eyley Jr., at Morton in December 1931. The native title of the myth is la'nlan, "flying squirrel". Other versions: Mary Eyley, myth three, p. 171; Hunt, in Northwest Sahaptin Texts, 1, p. 204.

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2. When the sun arose on them, he had not returned to his brothers' place. Another one went away now, the one next to him in age. He went away, in the same way the dangerous being made rain for him. (2) He went to exactly the same place, he reached it, "Ah! here it is fine for camping overnight, there is an old fireplace, I will stay here for the night." (3) It rained, he made a fire there, and then he went to sleep. The dangerous being descended towards him, it said to him, "Are you sleeping yet ?" "Yes," he responded. (4) It waited for a while longer, again it descended towards him, it called out to him, "Are you sleeping now?" "Yes," in a low voice. (5) It waited a little while longer, again it went down towards him, it called to him, "Are you asleep now?" He did not reply at all now. (6) "He must be asleep now." So then it descended to him, it carried him up, it devoured him, until only his bones were loft. 3. When the sun rose on them, he had not returned to the place of his brothers. Only three brothers remained. Again another of them, "Now why have they disappeared ? I will go look for them." (2) He went away, it rained, all day long he traveled about, "I am soaking wet. But it is fine here for camping overnight, there is a dry tree standing in the rain, and so I will camp here." (3) A formerly used fireplace was there, he made a fire there, he made camp, he went to sleep. The dangerous being came down towards him, it hallooed to him, "Are you asleep now?" "Yes," he responded. (4) Again it waited some time, then came down towards him, and called to him. "Yes," in a low voice. Again it waited, and in no long time he had fallen asleep. (5) It waited a little while, then it descended towards him, it called to him, "Are you sleeping now ?" (6) Complete silence. He did not reply at all. "Apparently he is asleep now." Then it came down to him, carried him up above, there the dangerous being devoured him. 4. When the sun rose, only bones were left. Only two of them survived now. The little youngest one knew, "That is what the dangerous being has been doing to them." (2) The older brother said, "I am going to go too now." The next to the youngest brother was going to look for them. (3) He went away, he likewise came to the tree there, he made camp, the dangerous being descended towards him, hallooed to him, "Are you sleeping now?" "Yes," he retorted, but he was not yet asleep. (4) I t came down towards him, it called to him, "Are you asleep now?" "Yes," in a low voice. It waited for him, then it again descended towards him, it called to him, "Are you sleeping now?" (5) Silence. "Apparently he is sleeping now." It descended to him, carried him above, ate him all up, till he was only bones.

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5. The sun rose on him, only one of them was left now. He had killed four of them, and only one survived. B u t he knew, he was the youngest one. (2) He thought, " I am going to go myself right now." He made hard roasting stakes, five hard ones, those he took with him when he went. "Now I will kill the dangerous being." (3) He reached that place. " I will camp here now. My brothers are hereabouts." He made a fire there, he lay down. The dangerous being knew that the man had set upright those roasting stakes, at the place where he was shortly to leap down at him. (4) There he had placed them close around himself. Then it descended towards him, it hallooed to him, " A r e you asleep y e t ? " " Y e s , " he responded. (5) Again in the same manner it waited for him. Then again it descended towards him. The fire had nearly gone out now, there the man lay. As it came down towards him, it called out to him, "Are you sleeping yet ? " Silence now, he did not reply at all. (6) B u t he was awake, he was not sleeping, he watched the dangerous being coming down. There it came down with a leap, to right where the roasting sticks were set, there the roasting sticks pierced him, as many roasting sticks as there were, they killed the dangerous being. 6. That dangerous being was flying squirrel, the man had killed him. There the man climbed up, he carried down his older brothers, he stepped over the five 1 of them, all the brothers came to. (2) He said, " L o o k ! This is the one who has been a dangerous being. This is the one who has been a dangerous being." He said to the dangerous being, "Nowhere are you to be a dangerous being. (3) The people coming are already near. When they arrive, you will be named flying squirrel instead. When you learn about the people, t h a t a person will be near death, you will tell them so. (4) B u t you are not to be a dangerous being anywhere, and eat people. On the contrary you are t o be named flying squirrel, the person who gives signs of ill omen." 7. All of t h a t now. 20. B e a r w o m a n k i l l s G r i z z l y w o m a n ' s d a u g h t e r . 2 1. There was Grizzly, Grizzly had a child, a girl. B u t Bear had none at all. She was a younger sister. They would go here and there for all sorts of things, they dug all kinds of things, they also picked all kinds of berries. (2) T h e older sister said to her, " Y o u are never to go in yonder direction, towards where I myself always go." So the younger sister herself went in a different direction, there she 1 2

Thus the informant; according to the preceding: four. Told March 1928; interpreter, Sam N. Eyley, at Morton in December 1931.

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would dig various roots. (3) At the same time Grizzly went where there were quantities of roots to be dug, there she herself went. (There were) also berries, of as many of all the kinds of berries that there are. (4) That was how the older sister was always doing it to her, she wanted it for herself. "Do not ever go in yonder direction, to where I always go." That is how her older sister Grizzly treated her. 2. That girl (of Grizzly) played. When Bear herself came back first, she picked a quarrel with her older sister's child. She squealed and squealed, the girl wept, and then when her older sister reached home, "My child is crying!" (2) She said to her, "Why are you crying?" She would not say, "She whipped me." That is what her aunt Bear had told her. "You must never tell. She might kill me." (3) When the mother asked the girl, "What happened to you ? Why are you crying?" she did not tell her mother, (she did) just as her aunt had said to her. 3. Then Bear thought, "I wonder why she is speaking to me in that manner. 'You are never to go in yonder direction, towards where I always go.' I am going to go right now, quantities of berries are ripening there. I shall go now." (2) She went in that direction, as she went she found a great many huckleberries ripening. 4. Again the next day Grizzly went, and she tracked footprints. "Apparently she has been going about here, damn her! I will fight her. She must have been fighting with my child." (2) She (Bear) found it out. And then,) "She wants to do meanly to me." She found it out. "She is angry at me now." Bear went on to where there were quantities of huckleberries. "I will go yonder shortly." She went away. 5. Then, "I will part from her now. Let her be gone!" She went where quantities of huckleberries were becoming ripe, it was Grizzly's berry patch there, at that place Bear went about, wherever huckleberries were, Bear defecated all over there. (2) She went home. Yonder Grizzly went the next day, to the place where there were many huckleberries. "If she has been getting and eating mine again, if I track her footprints, I will kill the damned thing." (3) She went away. Bear thought, "This time if she comes back to me pretty soon, my older sister may kill me." 6. When Grizzly had gone, Bear killed that girl child. She took her entire hide, she dressed it on a stick outside, while she buried the girl. (2) Then, "I will go now, I will leave her. Away with her! We will part from one another." She went. When Grizzly reached home, she saw it, "My child is standing near the stream, by the waterside." (3) Thereupon Grizzly became angry, this is what she did to (exposed) her claws. She was angry. She entered the house.

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"She is not here! damned thing!" Grizzly was angry. (4) She went out from the house, she ran, "My child is standing near the water." She ran to there, she took hold of her, "Not anywhere! only a stick clothed in it! 1 in my child's skin!" 7. Then Grizzly was angry, she tracked her down, " I wonder where she has gone to now ? She has killed my child." All over she sought her tracks, and then she found hers, "Here is where she seems to have gone." (2) She followed to the very place there, she pursued her to where those many huckleberries were, where Grizzly had been gathering them. She reached there. (3) "Here is where she went." At that place then it called out, "Here is where she went about." There Bear's feces thoroughly confused her, they befuddled her, they called to her from every direction. (4) She ran in yonder direction, nothing! Again she called out, " I am so tired now, younger sister! Where are you picking berries now ? I am tired out." (5) From another direction, "hu-'-," 2 they did (called) to her. She ran in that direction now, but nothing! She became completely confused, she never found her. 8. Bear went far away, she was never found. She obliterated her own tracks as she went along. She did not find her, though she kept on looking for her. 9. That is the Klikitat myth. Nowadays they are (just) bear and grizzly, they are no longer persons. That is as far as that myth goes. (2) At the present time they never eat one another's food, wherever they have found one or the other's eating place. They never go to that place. And that is how they have been since that time. 10. All now. 21. W o l v e s k i l l t h e f i s h . C h i n o o k s a l m o n is a v e n g e r . 3 1. There was a person, a head man. He had a female child. He said, " I will provide an elk antler, the people are to gather together, and if someone will split that antler apart, he may have my child to be his wife." (2) That is how the people did then, they assembled. All of those who were birds, none could do it, they were all unable to split apart the antler, none could do it at all. (3) Again people 1 J 3

Monotone, like a chant. Falsetto. Told. July 1926; interpreter, Peter McGuff. The narrative is unusuallyrepetitious and encumbered with awkward phrasing, perhaps due to especially slow dictation and overconscientious effort to be clear. Note the Hunt myth in Northwest Sahaptin Texts, 1, p. 216.

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gathered, all those who were from the water, all of those people gathered, but they were all unable to do it. They gave up. 2. There were five brothers, the oldest one was Chinook salmon, there was steelhead, there was silverside, there was blueback, there was Dolly Varden, five brothers. (2) He said, "If you split the antler, she will become my wife." That is what Chinook Salmon said, he told his younger brothers so. They went, at that place they met, they gathered together. (3) The youngest brother took it, but the youngest was unable to split it apart. The next one was unable to split it. Two now. The next one, this one named silverside, nearly (did it). (4) Then the next one, this one named steelhead, took it, blew on the antler with his mouth, and took it. Chinook salmon had already taken the woman, and steelhead had taken the elk antler. (5) The older brother said to him, "Though you may split it now, the woman is already taken." 3. The chief said, "Chinook Salmon and his younger brothers are vanquishing me now." He told grizzly, cougar, bear, wolf, "If they seize the woman, there will be war on account of the woman." (2) That is what he told the mean ones, all those who were mean and courageous, and the Wolves. Said Coyote, "Yes yes. There will be killing now." Blue Jay said, "Yes indeed." He was already prepared. 4. But Chinook Salmon already knew, and his younger brother steelhead split the elk antler. Then Chinook Salmon took the woman. He was long prepared for war. (2) They were all to be followers of Chinook Salmon, as many as were from the water, all of them were his followers, he was their head man. Rattlesnake himself spoke, he too had younger brothers, he said, (3) "We also are ready to fight and kill." They also were birds, and brothers too, Eagle was head man, he was chief, he too had younger brothers. He said, "Now they will all fight and kill." 5. Then he split the antler, Chinook Salmon seized the woman, and at once they shot at and killed one another. Many birds were killed, but not many water people were killed. (2) The powerful and dangerous grizzlies, cougar, wolf, courageous and mean ones, they killed a great many. Those water people did not number very many mean ones, only the brave and invincible eel, and the brave and invincible turtle were never killed. (3) Only the two of them killed a great many people, a great many, nearly all of them. Said eel, "I shall never die from anything. (4) You alone now split wapayi' reed, shoot it high up into the air, and it will fall down." Turtle also spoke in that manner, and in that manner the two of them killed a great many then. (5) That is how the two of them spoke,

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and t h a t is how t h e y did it. Then they died, they killed them, as m a n y as were in t h e water, t h e y killed them. 6. Then the five Chinook Salmon brothers went towards the water, and t h e y killed them, the wolves killed them. When t h e y killed one, they would eat t h a t one. (2) They carried t h e m away to the water, not far away now, all of t h e m close to the water, and then t h e y killed all t h e Chinook Salmon (people), right near the water. (3) T h e wolves took their woman from them, t h e y took the woman from them. They killed t h e m all, none were left. The five wolf brothers took the woman. No fish were left now, all of t h e m had died. 7. B u t in a hole in the rocks was a small fish scale. When it rained, there was water there, and then t h a t little scale of Chinook salmon became a t i n y little fish. (2) I t drifted to the river, from there it went on towards t h e ocean, it swam away, there it grew, and became a little boy. H e went away, he became a big man. (3) He spoke, it was his grandson. He told him, " H e killed your father." The boy said, " I will go now." The boy made himself strong (in supernatural power), and t h e n the powerful boy came. (4) He said, " I will avenge myself. I am on my way now." 8. The boy came on, he reached this river, where the brothers had their dwelling. They were five brothers, there was rattlesnake, there was bull snake, there was racer, there was black garden snake, there was (watika'lala) lizard. So many, five of them, were t h e brothers. 9. The brave man Chinook Salmon reached t h a t place, (watika'lala or tfalula') lizard's. He sang, this is w h a t he said, "My older brothers, t h e Wolves, killed the Chinook Salmon people. They a t e them. F r o m t h e m there was nothing to grow again." (2) H e reached him (lizard) a t t h a t place, and he said, " W h y is he singing, and is glad ?" He spoke to him, he t a u g h t him why. (3) He said t o him, "Yes. I do feel sorry, t h e mean Wolves killed the Chinook Salmon, t h e y killed them. T h a t is why I am weeping." (4) H e said to him, "Give me w h a t is yours (used by you) for an arrow! Give it to me. I am on m y way, and whatever I see, I kill." He replied, "Very well. I will give t h e m t o you." He gave him two arrows. 10. He went on, he reached where black garden snake was, in t h e same manner he spoke. He said to him, "No, I am crying. T h e mean Wolves killed t h e Chinook Salmon people. (2) T h a t is w h y I am crying." H e said to him, "Give me yours! it is your thing for shooting, you will give me the arrows, t h a t is what you will give me." He replied, "Very well. I will give t h e m to you." He gave them to him. 11. He went on, he arrived where racer snake was. He had a

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house. In the same manner he spoke to him. "Why are you singing and glad ?" (2) He said to him, ' Give me two arrows. With them I will eat as I go along, whenever I become hungry." He said to him, "Very well." He gave him two. He did the same thing there. He said, "Come out. I will tell you before I go." (3) He replied, "Oh no." He feared him. But then he did crawl out, he stepped on him, he killed him with his foot. He left him in the same manner. 12. He went on. He was now traveling near where rattlesnake was, he was traveling close to there. He arrived at the place where bull snake's house was. He arrived. (2) He had heard singing as he went along. When he saw him he burst into tears, and said to him, " W h y are you glad, and singing loudly?" He said to him, "No. I am really crying, because they killed Chinook Salmon. That is why T am crying." (3) That is how he spoke to him. Then, "Very well, grandfather. Now give me that thing of yours that is valuable, with which you yourself kill (things). Give that to me." (4) That is what he said to him. For some time he did not want at all to give it to him, not for some time, but then he did give him two arrows. (5) He went out from the house. He said to him, "Come outside before I go, before I go I will tell you when I am going to come back, I will tell it to you before I go." (6) He said to him, " I do not want t o . " A long time. He feared him. But when he did crawl out of the house, he mashed him with his foot, he killed him. He went on from that place. 13. He now reached the place of the powerful and dangerous rattlesnake. When he arrived, rattlesnake knew about him. "A dangerous being has come to me." He smelled him, he had the odor of Chinook salmon. (2) That was why he feared him. He said, " Y e s . " He said, "Yes, grandfather. I am traveling. Wherever I find it I kill it, that is what I eat. (3) Give me them, I will shoot three times, it will stride on, and it may die. And in that manner if I shoot it once, it will stride on, twice, and it may die. (4) In that same manner if I shoot it just once, it may run towards the water, and die, when it leaps into the water. That is how I wish it to be. Give me the two of them." He gave them to him. "Not those, the other ones." That is how Rattlesnake did it to Chinook Salmon. (5) The fifth time, and then he said to him, "Very well, grandson. I will give them to you now." So he said to him. He gave them to him then. (6) Those were the best arrows, those he gave to him. " I am giving them to you now, grandson. That is how I myself will remain while I give them now to you." (7) That is how he spoke to him. He said to him then, "Come out for me now. I want to speak to you." He did not want to go out, he feared him. Again,

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five times, that many times he spoke, and then rattlesnake came out. (8) Chinook salmon stepped on him, mashed him, flattened rattlesnake's head with his foot. He took all those arrows from the younger brothers, those arrows that belonged to them, he took them all from them. 14. He went on, he reached where there was a small lake, an old woman was there, he came near the lake at that place, there he step ped on and broke the leg of the old woman. (2) The old woman cried. She said to him, "You hurt me. I will not tell you or explain to you." He said to her, "Indeed. I will make a leg for you." (3) To that the old woman said, "Very well." Chinook Salmon made a leg for the old woman, he made a leg for the old woman. (4) She explained to him, "You are reaching the place of a dangerous being. When you arrive, there are five of them. At t h a t place they are keeping that woman, the woman on account of whom they killed the Chinook Salmon. (5) They took the woman from them. When you have reached t h a t place, you will think carefully. Early in the morning they always go hunting, and they hide the woman. When they have gone, you will arrive. (6) When the sun is low down, they will reach home. That is when you must be sharply on the lookout, they are dangerous beings. When you reach the house, you will enter at once, and go to the rear of the house. (7) You will look, you will open up the place, there where the woman is. Whatever the woman tells you, that is what you must do. They are five wolves. When the sun rises, they go away to hunt, and they hide the woman. (8) When they come back home, not all (together), but one by one they return, one when the sun is high, another when the sun is a little lower, another when the sun is still lower, another when the sun is lower, another when the sun is still lower, another when the sun is even lower. (9) There are five of them. There is water, at t h a t place they always go to drink. When they return, watch carefully, lie in wait for them there at the water." 15. In that manner then he went away, and so he reached there. He said to the woman, "Where are your husbands ?" She said to him, "They are dangerous beings, they are not for you (to do with). That is how they are dangerous beings." (2) The woman explained everything to him, and so doing the man went away, and reached the very place where t h a t water was, when they should be returning home. At that place was that water, there they always would drink. 16. When he reached the place, he was followed there by the old woman, the one whose leg he had stepped on and broken. To there also that old woman followed the man. (2) She said to him, "This

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is how you are to do it." Then this is what he did. He dug five holes, he stayed there at the holes in the ground. 17. He saw, "A man is coming now. a wolf, coming packing five deer, he is packing five of them, now he is coming towards me." He said, " I want to go get a drink." (2) He came to that place at the water, he drank, right there Chinook Salmon man shot him. When he leaped, he fell into one of the holes in the ground, again he shot him there, and killed the wolf. Thereupon the woman said to him, "Hurry and hide all these deer." That is what he did. 18. Again he looked, again one was coming, in the same manner he was packing five. He also reached that place at the water, he drank water, a little lower the water became. (2) When it became lower, he put his head down further into the water (hole), and there he shot him. He leaped by three holes, there at the third one the wolf died. Thereupon the old woman said to him, " F a s t e r ! " He was to hide them. 19. In the same manner another one (came). That is how they killed all five Wolves, the old woman and Chinook Salmon killed them. Then he went on homewards, there they returned to their home. 20. There where the woman was, the man took her, he obtained a stick, the woman had five babies, the babies were in her belly, the man took the stick, he forced out all five babies from her belly. 21. He said to the woman, "Now let us," he said, "return home." The woman replied to him, "Very well." They came to the river, they came down to the water, they obtained a canoe, and then they came on by canoe to this river. (2) The man said to her, " I have become tired out. Now you take the paddle too! You go along too. I am tired." That is what the woman did. When she went on, the man lay down in the canoe. (3) The woman came on. when the sun was high above, the man became warm because of the sun, and maggots appeared from his body. (4) The woman saw them, she spoke to him, the woman awakened him with the paddle, she said to him, "You have dangerous things on you." The man awoke, the man was very angry. (5) The man took the paddle, from the water he did it to the rock in that manner, he threw the woman out to the rock, and then the man went on. He came to that place in the ocean, to his own house, and then he lay down at his house. 22. There the woman was, the woman cried, this is what the woman said, " I will die now." Buzzard himself came along, and saw her. "The woman is dying." (2) He flew to her, "ku-'ku-'ku-'ku-'k," he flew to her, he wanted her eyes. When he was about to take her eyes, the woman did thus with her hand, she said, "Don't! I am alive, I am not dying, no, I am alive." (3) He said to her, "How

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did you come to be like that ?" The woman said to buzzard, "The man became angry at me, and tljat is what he did to me, that is how he deserted me, and now I am nearly starved." Buzzard said, " I will go now." 23. Buzzard went, he reached the place, where that (Chinook salmon) man was. When buzzard arrived there, this is what he said, " I found out where the woman is." (2) The man said to him, " Y o u may go, fetch the woman, and bring her back. She is my wife." That is what the man said to him. "Very well,"replied buzzard. 24. Buzzard went on, he reached the woman's place, he said, "My older brother and I are going to take you away. We will take you." The woman replied to him, "All right." Then they bore her away. (2) This one was buzzard, that one was vulture, vulture was older brother to his comrade buzzard. Then they carried away the woman, they brought her to the very place, where that man was, to that place they brought the woman. 25. There the man said, " I will go shortly now, by canoe, in the direction where I went (before), and I will take back the woman." That is how the man spoke. " I will take her back now." (2) All his relatives made preparations, he went down to the stream, the man boarded the canoe. He said to the woman, "Now you come aboard the canoe too." (3) The woman went, she had not yet boarded it, when the canoe moved off, and the woman fell into the water. 26. This is what he said. "That is how the Wolves ate my father, they killed my father rattlesnake with my own arrows." That is how Chinook Salmon spoke. He said, "You are to gather the people together. Whoever will go into that water, and bring out the woman..." 27. That is how it came to pass. All the many people assembled, as many birds as there were, as many water people as there were, all of them, they all dived, but they did not find the woman. 28. There was turtle himself. He was told, "Should you yourself bring her out of the water, she will be your wife for that." That is what that man said. (2) So turtle said, "Should I go into the water merely for three days, I may find the woman. But if I go in for five days, then I will find her. Should I not reach the place, where that woman is now, in three days, I may return without the woman. But if it is five days, then I will find the woman." (3) That is what turtle did. He dived into the water, it was one, it was two, it was three, it was four, it was five days, and on this fifth day he found the woman. Then turtle brought the woman out of the water, that woman became his. 29. Thai's all. Thai's long enough. 5

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22. C o y o t e t r i c k s a n d e a t s h i s b r o t h e r , D e e r . 1 1. There were Coyote and his brother, deer. Deer would go away. In the early morning he would go to the water, there he would bathe in the water. He would return when the sun was high above. (2) Coyote said to him, "Take good care of yourself. I t is quite possible that they may kill you. Should they want to kill you, take good care of yourself." (3) That is what Coyote said to him. Early in the morning he (Deer) would go to the water. Coyote made arrows of two different kinds. Deer went away early in the day. 2. Coyote went and said to his brother, "Either they may shoot you (saying), a'lu'wi'pa'm, 2 charcoal people (they are), or they may shoot you (saying), tci-'ms walalaha'. 2 (2) If the latter shoot you (they are) the ka'tmaik people." So Coyote made arrows. Then Coyote lay waiting in ambush for his brother. 3. Deer went to the water, he went in to bathe. Coyote went away, he stayed on the trail. Deer came along on his way home (saying), "Bathing he comes, homewards he comes." 3 (2) At that place Coyote waylaid his brother, as he came along he shot his brother there. Coyote ran towards home. (When) he shot his brother (he was saying), "tci-'mc walalaha'." 2 He shot his brother. Coyote ran homewards, he reached the house. 4. He saw his brother running to there, an arrow pierced through his body. He arrived there. He told him, "They killed me, they shot me." Coyote said, "How did they shoot you ? How did they call to you ?" (2) His brother told him how they shot him. "tci-'mc walalaha', 2 that is how they shot me." Coyote said to his brother, " I t must have been the charcoal people (who shot you). (3) You will never recover. What sort of arrow is it ?" Coyote looked at the arrow. He said, " I t must have been the charcoal people, that is how they do i t . " 5. This is what he said to his brother. " I will doctor you myself." He doctored his brother, but did nothing at all (for him). The brother gradually approached death. (2) He (Coyote) had a younger brother, a shaman. The younger brother shaman was Fox. He said, " I will go tell him." Coyote went away. "After a while we shall eat him. I shot him. Come now!" (3) The shaman, Coyote's 1

2 3

Told August 1926; interpreter, Peter McGuff. Compare the version in the fourth myth of Eyley J r . , p. 108. Falsetto, in a comical monotone chant. A low basso monotone chant.

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younger brother (Fox), came, and the shaman doctored him. Deer became a little better, so the shaman left him and went home. (4) Then Coyote doctored him. He was pretty near death, he was about to die. He (Coyote) went to tell his brother. "Come now! Hurry! We will doctor him." (5) The brother came, and Coyote and his brother doctored him. Deer was dead, and the two brothers ate him up. "Later on t h a t is how food of all kinds will be. He is called deer." That is what Coyote and his brother said. Then the two brothers ate him up. 23. C o y o t e

prays

f o r f o o d ; h e v i s i t s t h e l a n d of t h e dead.1

1. Coyote went away. " I am going towards the sunrise." He went far away, he went on in this land. He saw a man traveling towards him, at t h a t place the man reached him. (2) "Oh! my friend, to where are you going?" That is how he spoke to him. Said Coyote, " I am going to where the sun rises, t h a t is the direction I am going." 2. He replied, "Very well! I shall show you something fine. Let us eat. Are you hungry, my friend?" Coyote replied, "Yes, indeed! I am hungry," Coyote replied. (2) The man said to him, "Very well! Here is water, this is where we shall eat." That is how the man spoke to him. The man drew forth a (mat) spread, and laid it out. (3) He said to him, "Let us eat." And he said to him, "Sit down there at t h a t place." Coyote sat down. Then he said to him, "Close your eyes well (tightly). Do not look." (4) That is how he spoke to him. Coyote sat with his eyes tightly shut. The man prayed and spoke, and then he said to him, "Now look!" Coyote looked. "Oh! there is a lot of food." (5) They ate, the two friends had a great quantity of food. He said to him, " H a v e you eaten f u l l y ? " He replied, "Yes! I have eaten a great deal." H e said to him, "Shut your eyes now!" (6) Coyote shut his eyes, his friend spoke and prayed, and said to him then, "Now look!" Coyote looked, that food was no longer there. (7) He rolled up t h a t spread, and he said to him, " T h a t is how I always do it, whenever I am hungry, that is how I do it." That is how he spoke to him. 3. Coyote thought, " I shall kill him. I shall do it t h a t way, should I be hungry. That is how I shall do it." That is how Coyote thought. He knew, "Coyote is becoming mischievous, he wants to kill me." (2) That is how he thought concerning him. Coyote killed his friend, 1

Told September 1927; interpreter, Peter McGuff, one week later at White Swan. Compare the two myths following this.

o*

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Sahaptin

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he took all that he had, breeches, waist, moccasins, he took all of it. (3) His own he cast away at that place. Then Coyote went on. 4. " I am hungry." He came to water, there he made a spread. Coyote prayed, and saw, " I have food on the spread!" Coyote ate until full. (2) He shut his eyes, prayed, and saw that the food was no longer there. Coyote went on, he went far away. 5. He saw a man traveling towards him. he encountered him at that place. He (the man) said to him, "Why, indeed! Why are you going about here, my younger brother?" (2) He (Coyote) replied, "Yes! I am going about just as you had told me. Go on ahead! You will then see all your younger brothers. Talk well to them! That is how I go about. I am going back home now." (3) He said to him (to Coyote), "Very well. I encountered you (for that special purpose), my younger brother." That is how he spoke to him. (4) The man knew (that Coyote was pretending to be the younger brother). He said to him (to Coyote), "Let us go home together." 6. They went on, they arrived there. The man thought, "He will never climb it." The man climbed up. Coyote stood there. "What can I d o ? " Lo! and Coyote had an idea. " I shall sing, and so I shall follow him." Coyote sang. "Raise me above at once!" 1 (2) Forthwith, Coyote went, climbed up, and followed his brother. He saw him coming climbing up. At length he did reach the top. 7. He went far away, and came to where there was a lake. The man crossed it there, but did not go on top of the water. Coyote reached that place, (2) Coyote stood there, there was no way to cross on the water. His brother saw him, "There Coyote is standing. Coyote is not coming across." After a while Coyote studied it out. "How can I do it ?" Coyote sang, "Get me across at once!" 1 (3) Forthwith, Coyote went across, on the very surface of the water. The man saw him. "He is coming this way indeed!" He (the man) went on. 8. At length he reached that place, where there were people, he arrived there, he came out into view of it, and saw, "Oh! there are a great many people." (2) He (the man) said to him, "You may remain here." At that place persons were going round in a circle. A long house stood there, and there the people were going round in the circle. (3) He said to him, "Remain here, until in a little while 1

Translation uncertain. Chanted in the customary comic monotone of Coyote.

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I come to get you." So he spoke to him. There Coyote stood, " H e also did whatever the people were doing." 1 (4) The man went directly to the house. The people then entered the house, all the people entered the house. (5) He said to him. "Come here!" Thereupon Coyote went to the house, he went to the side of the house from the center. He said to him, "Come inside!" — "Coyote entered the long house." 1 He spoke to him, this is how he motioned to him with his hand. (6) "Stand there, Coyote! Come stand there at the door!" (He stood) with his waist and breeches off, Coyote stood there covered (only) with body hair, Coyote stood there. (7) There were a great many people. Coyote recognized the man then. "He is the very one I killed, it is t h a t very same one." This is what he did. The earth opened. 9. He told Coyote, "Return to t h a t place! You must never come here to this land, even when you die. But you will always be there (in t h a t country). There will be land there, there will be people. (2) When they die they will come here, they will come only when they are dead, they will not come if alive. I n future if you know that a person is nearly dead, when you know it you will howl. (3) 'Now it will be only a little while before you die.' That is what you will tell the people." That is how he spoke to Coyote. " G o back home now, to t h a t land, to t h a t other land." That is how he spoke to him. (4) And t h a t is how it is now in this land. " H e will not go away from this land, he will be here always, as long as the land is here." 10. That is how he spoke to Coyote, that is how he ordained for him when he sent him back here to this land. Since then he has been coyote 2 in this land, he never goes anywhere else when he dies. T h a t is how Coyote is in this land. 24. C o y o t e k i l l s h i s d e e r p o w e r , T i c k , a n d his own wife.3 1. There was Coyote, he had a wife. The old woman was hungry for food. When it dawned she said, " I am hungry. Oh, if only there were food now!" (2) He saw there were deer bones outside, he got them, he boiled them, it became a fine broth, and they ate it. One evening she said, "Oh dear, I am hungry t o d a y . " (3) He saw 1

The ludicrous pulsing monotone chant identified with Coyote. - No longer Coyote, the person of the myth age of long ago, but just the animal, coyote. 3 Told July 1926; interpreter, J. J. Spencer, March 1928. Note the 1927 version in the following myth.

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there was food a bit further away, bones with meat on. He got it, fixed it, boiled it, and ate it that day. The same way again she said, "Oh dear, I am hungry." (4) He saw meat outside, he got it, took it inside the house, and they ate it. Farther on still (it was) the next day. She spoke in the same manner again. When the sun rose, he saw a whole deer outside. She fixed it, and they ate it. Many days that food (lasted). 2. Then Coyote said, "From where is food given me ? I will go seek it, maybe I will find them." So he spoke to his wife, and then Coyote went away. He found there was a house; at it was a man. (2) There was the house, it was nothing but deer hide all over, the house was made of it. There was a lot of food and meat in the house, the house was full of it. (3) He saw Coyote. "So you have come, Coyote! I will give you food." So he spoke to Coyote. He took a food holder, he prepared food for Coyote. (4) Coyote was very pleased and thankful, he ate a great deal, (there was) a great deal of food. "Very good," thought Coyote. (5) He gave Coyote food, and he (Coyote) went back to his own house. His wife was in the house. He brought her a lot of food, and his wife was glad of the food. (6) He told her, " I have found a great deal of food, it is the man's. I shall go again." Coyote went again, he went perhaps five times. 3. Then Coyote thought, " I will kill him myself, and this will be my home then, I will move to this place." So Coyote thought. He said, "Now I am going to club and kill you with a stick." (2) The man laughed and said, "The stick is mine." Coyote had nothing at all with which to kill him. So he said, " I will kill you now with a rock." Then the man wept. " I am going to be killed." Coyote thought, "Now I will kill him." That is what he did. The man sang, "Come running to me, come running to me!" 1 That is what the man said. Coyote killed him. He thought, " I have killed him." That is what the man said. 4. The man had a sweat house. A whole large deer, there it lay, it was the man's sweat house.2 Everything turned into (live) deer. They went to the mountains. Coyote got nothing. (2) Of so much of all that was there, he got nothing of it, Coyote quit with nothing. Whatever he had at his house, quantities of bones to be boiled, these all became deer. 5. Coyote quit there with nothing at all, and that was how it was once again at home. He felt badly about it. He came back to the 1 2

A song or chant, in falsetto; it is the spirit power song of the man. The sweat house was one side of the ribs of the deer.

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59

house. His wife was angry with him. (2) "Oh, why did you treat him like that ? He was the one who had given you food, and that was how you treated him. He will not give you food any more. Who will ? You have made a mistake, he will give you no food." (3) That was how his wife angrily scolded Coyote. Poor (low in supplies) they became, there was no food. So Coyote killed his wife, and he ate his wife. 6. Coyote became hungry when he had done (eaten) it all. Coyote said, " I am hungry. Now I will go to wherever the sun comes from. There I will go." Coyote thought, " I will go. I am hungry, so I will go now." (2) That is what Coyote said, that is what Coyote did. He went to where the sun comes from, to there Coyote went. On his way he made all sorts of different things. (3) Coyote went far away towards the dawn. He made all kinds of different people as he went. In the same manner he made different languages along the way. Since that time and until now it is his law, made by Coyote, to the east. That was how Coyote ordained. 25. C o y o t e k i l l s h i s d e e r power, T i c k , and his own wife ( s e c o n d v e r s i o n ) ; C l o u d t e l l s news a b o u t h i m ; he t r i e s t o s h o o t t h e moon. 1 1. There were Coyote and his wife. They hungered, (there was) no food. Coyote said, " I am hungry. Oh dear, would that food come!" He heard a thump, he heard it outside the house. (2) He went outside, he saw there was food, deer bones. He took them and brought them inside the house. He said to the old woman (his wife), " I have found food." The old woman was glad. She took it, ate it, and finished it all. 2. She said to Coyote, "Say it again! I am hungry." Coyote said to her, "Very well. I shall call out for food." Coyote went outside (and said), "Oh dear, oh dear, I am hungry. Would that a whole deer come!" (2) He heard a thump, it dropped outside. He went outside, a whole deer lay there. He told the old woman, "My food has come, a whole deer." He took it, butchered the deer, and they ate all of it in three days. 3. Again she became hungry, and the old woman said to Coyote, "Go shout again!" The old woman said it to Coyote. Coyote remarked, " I shall go look for it." (2) The old woman said to him, 1

Told September 1927; interpreter, Peter McGuff, one week later at White Swan. Compare the first part of this myth with the preceding shorter myth told the previous year.

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Northwest Sahaptin

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"Yes, do go look for it!" Coyote went, looked for it, and found it. Oh, there were quantities of all kinds of meat. 4. A man1 dwelt there, he had a quantity of food. He said to him (to Coyote), "Why are you traveling, my friend ?" He said to him, "Merely because I am hungry. I am looking for food." (2) The man said to him, "Why all right! I will give you food." That is how the man spoke to him. "I will give you food." Coyote said to him, "Very good. Give it to me." (3) He said to him, "Later, before you go, you must eat. Then I will give it to you to take home."' That is how he spoke to him. (4) Coyote replied, "Very well." He gave it to him, he went away. He gave him a quantity of food and meat, all sorts of meat, and Coyote took it home, he brought back a great quantity of food to his wife at the house. The wife was glad. They ate it for three days, and they ate it all. 5. Again Coyote said, "I am going away, to seek it again." The wife said to him, "Very well." Coyote went, he came to the very same place, to the man's place. (2) He said to him (toCoyote), "I am making a sweat house. We shall go sweat and then we shall eat, and I shall give you food. You will take it back home." Coyote replied, "All right." (3) They went to the sweat house, there at the sweat house the two friends sweated. They returned, and they ate. 6. Coyote thought, "I shall kill him, and I shall have lots of food of my own. I shall take all of his." That was how Coyote thought. The man knew (what Coyote thought). "Coyote wants to act with ill intent." (2) The man was Tick. Coyote said to him, "I shall kill you. I shall club you with a stick." Said the man to him, "The stick is mine." (3) Coyote said to him, "I shall shoot you." Said the man to him, "The shooting weapon is mine." That is how the man spoke to him. (4) Coyote said, "There is nothing at all with which to kill him. Oh dear, I wonder how I could do it to him. I shall kill him with a rock." (5) He seized a rock, and he said to him, "I shall kill you with a rock." Replied the man, "he-'—." Coyote took a rock. "Now I shall kill him," he said. 7. The man seized Coyote's rock, and he said, "Stampede him! Run this way!" Said Coyote, "Oh dear, he must have a father (a power)." "Oh, father!" "The damn fool! I shall kill him now." (2) The man said, "Stampede him! Run this way!" All those deer jumped up, they went away, all the deer there were. The man stood up, leaped on the elk sweat house, stood there, and the deer (elks) went away. (3) There the man stood, the deer (elks) carried him away. All that food, the meat, the hides, (all) went, nothing (was left). That was how Coyote returned home to his wife's place, he 1

pcexya'i, "Tick". In the story the name is revealed later.

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came back with no food at all. (4) He told his wife, "(I have) nothing." His wife knew it. "Coyote has been doing wrong." He came home with no food. 8. They became hungry, there was no more food. Coyote thought, " I shall roast my wife." So he said. He made a hardwood roasting spit. He said to his wife, "Oh, you seem to be getting bad. Let's see! Turn around!" (2) She said to him, "No!" She said to him, "No! Don't you do that!" That was how it was with the woman. Then Coyote roasted and ate his wife. That was how he no longer had a wife. 9. He thought, " I shall go far away." Coyote went away, he went far, far away. He became tired and hungry. So at that place Coyote sucked himself (his penis). Little Cloud himself came along there, he (Cloud) saw him. (2) "What is Coyote doing ?" He stepped on him, his (penis) was pulled off, there Coyote was (left) dying, his (penis) was stuck in his mouth, he left Coyote dying there. (3) Coyote awakened from it, and he thought, "Oh dear, I must have been asleep too long, I shall go on." He went along. 10. He (came) close to the place of (certain) people. He went along. " I shall halt at the people's place." He went near to them, and he heard that the people were telling one another, "Coyote's (penis) was stuck in him! He died at that place!" (2) Coyote heard it. "Oh damn! They are telling one another things about me." He went on again. " I would not go to the place of the people. Apparently they have learned about me already. So let them go! I shall be going on." 11. He went away, and again he came to where people were. "Guess I'll stop at the place of the people." In the same manner again he heard them. (2) "They are already telling one another about me. Oh, let them go! I shall be going on." 12. Again (he came) to a place there where there were persons. " I shall hurry on (to there)." Coyote ran, he ran to the people. He came close to them. He heard, "They have been telling one another already." (2) Coyote became tired out, and at the same time he was beginning to be hungry. There was no place anywhere at all to eat. 13. That Cloud had gone along rapidly, and as it went it had been telling the people, "That is how I did it to Coyote. Coyote sucked himself. That is how I did it to him. Coyote died at that place, and I left him." (2) Coyote had no means of overtaking him, he could not do it, he left him far behind. 14. Coyote became tired out. " I shall camp at this place." He camped there. He saw, "Oh dear, something round is emerging

62

Northwest Sahaptin Texts

nearby." He took an arrow. " I shall shoot it." He shot it, but it was quite unharmed. (2) " A round thing is climbing up. I t must be the moon emerging. But the arrow fell only nearby here, while the moon is climbing up far, far away." He became tired out. His arrows were all spent. (3) "Oh, I shall let it go! I am out of all the arrows I had." I t dawned. He saw it, "Still there, the moon is going along." That is how he saw it. He had no more arrows. 15. He went on. He had picked up all his arrows. " W h a t could I have been doing like that? I shall defecate and ask." Coyote defecated his two sisters. " R e a d y ! tell me! Why was that ? that I was unable to shoot i t ? " (2) "Indeed you could not at all," said his two sisters to him. " Y o u could not do anything to such a thing. N o ! I t is moon indeed. No, it is too high for you to shoot it." (3) That is how his two sisters spoke to him. He replied, " T h a t is just what I had been thinking. You have informed me well. Now, my two sisters, enter me!" That is the way Coyote's two sisters were. Then Coyote went on again. 26. C o y o t e c u t s f o o d s o u t of a c h i l d . 1 1. There was ani-'-. 2. There was a little boy, he had oldersisters, they used to dig all sorts of things, the boy would eat the things dug by his older sisters, he would eat them all up. (2) Again the next day they went root digging, they came to there (to the root patch), the sisters brought back what they had dug, the boy ate it all up. 3. The sisters realized, " A dangerous being will come here." They said, " L e t us go a w a y ! " So they went away (with the boy). (2) The boy came to have an enormous belly, he had eaten all the roots dug by the sisters. They went away. " A dangerous being will reach here." They went on. 4. He himself, Coyote, was traveling along that way, and he saw their tracks. "They must have gone by here. I shall follow them." He went on, Coyote followed. (2) The unmarried girls knew, " A dangerous being is overtaking us." The boy was unable to travel along, he became tired out because of his belly. " L e t him be! We will leave the boy behind." They left the boy. (3) Then Coyote came close to overtaking him, Coyote caught up to him. The boy was going along now just by himself. The boy knew, "The dangerous being is catching up to me. What shall I do ?" Then the boy went on, singing, 1

Told, September 1927; interpreter, Peter McGuff, one week later at White Swan. Note the version of the next myth, dictated in 1929.

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"Run! legs!" (repeat indefinitely) (4) The boy traveled along, singing. At that place Coyote caught up to him. "'a'! What is the boy saying ?" The boy had not seen Coyote, the boy went on there, singing. "Run! legs!" (repeat indefinitely) (5) Coyote caught up to him at that place, and said to him, "What are you saying, boy?" Coyote thought, "Oh dear! the poor boy! I will not kill him. Let him be! I will not kill him, he is a poor boy." 5. So he said to him, "How do you happen to be traveling along here alone ?" The boy did not reply at all. He said to him, "How do you happen to be going about alone?" (2) The boy paid no attention, the boy was reflecting about Coyote, "Don't you do anything to me! You beware!" Coyote thought, "He is a poor boy." (3) But Coyote thought again, "Now I will kill him." Coyote followed closely behind the boy, and thought, " I will kill him." He said, " I will slit you open at the belly." (4) Coyote turned over a bag for flints, there was a flint inside, he took it out, and cut open the boy at the belly. 6. He (Coyote) spilled out all the foods, whatever things dug by the older sisters that he (the boy) had eaten, he spilled out all of them, as many different roots as were there, and also different kinds of fruits and berries, Coyote spilled out all of them. (2) That is how Coyote did it to him. At that place they became all the kinds of foods that are there now, as many roots, fruits, and berries as are now in the country there. That is how Coyote did it to the boy. 27. C o y o t e c u t s f o o d s o u t of a c h i l d (second v e r s i o n ) . 1 1. I t was ani-'! 2. There were five of them with their grandmother, they were five sisters. The grandmother was an old woman. The sisters would go digging all sorts of things. The youngest was a little girl. (2) She would bring back food, she would return with all sorts of things. The girl would eat up all the roots of her older sisters, as many as they had been digging, the girl devoured all of them.(3)They 1

Told June 1929; interpreter, J . J . Spencer. It was learned that the episode is supposed to have taken place at tsawuxa'wuxa, a site south of Trout Lake in Klickitat County, wuxa', or more likely, wexa', means ''leg". The five sisters are birds whose English name was not known to interpreter Spencer. These birds are seen in flocks in snow time. Note the 1927 version above.

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found out, "A dangerous being is coming near now, the dangerous being will reach us. Let us go away!" They made preparations. 'Let us go far away! The dangerous being is coming near now." (4) So away they went. That girl could not go. The girl had a large little belly, she was unable to go. 3. He, Coyote himself, was coming along. He saw, "Apparently they have gone on." He followed them then. An older sister of the girl realized, "The dangerous being has caught up to us. Let her go!" (2) They said this to each other. "Let us desert her." They left the girl behind. Coyote caught up to her, he saw her. "Oh, how the poor girl goes along! She has a large little belly, she cannot go along." (3) The girl saw, "The dangerous being has overtaken me. What shall I do ?" So the girl thought. Coyote himself was thinking also. "What shall I do to her? She is a poor thing." 4. The girl went along (crying), "Run! legs! Run! legs!1 The dangerous being has come close now! The dangerous being might catch up to me! Run! legs!1 Oh dear, Coyote! Oh dear, Coyote!" said the girl. 5. When he caught up to her he followed her slowly, until she could at last get down below. She finally arrived at a nice level site beneath. At that place he cut open the belly of the girl. (2) All the food mentioned before came out of it, as much of roots and foods as are there at the present time in that land. (3) They were the food of the girl, whatever she had devoured. That is how Coyote did to her. He did not catch up to them, to the unmarried girls. They went far away. 6. That is all now. 28. C o y o t e a n d E a g l e p a r t . C o y o t e k i l l s t h e s w a l l o w i n g m o n s t e r and a S o f t B a s k e t P e r s o n , is s p e a r e d b y t h e one a r m e d m a n , k i l l s t w o d a n g e r o u s d o g s ; he s e c u r e s a powerful cane and knife.2 1. There was Coyote, there was his friend Eagle. He (Eagle) would go about for deer, he would shoot deer. There was an old woman, she had a girl, a niece. (2) She told her, "Go! There is a chief. Go there!" The girl went to that place, she reached there. Coyote 1 2

Monotone chant. Told September 1927; interpreter, Peter McGuff, one week later at White Swan. A fragmentary version told, by Hunt the preceding year is in Northwest Sahaptin Texts, 1, p. 223. The contest of Coyote with the dogs also appears in myth 34. (p. 96).

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saw a woman had come, and he said to her, "So you have come here, sister-in-law! My older brother has gone hunting for deer." (3) The woman said to him, "Yes! My grandmother said to me, 'Go!' And so I have come." The woman went and dug white camas, she roasted the white camas in ashes underground, she gave them to Coyote, and Coyote ate the white camas. 2. Eagle came along, he brought meat with him, he reached there. The woman was at the house. He said to her, "When did you arrive, my wife?" That is how Eagle spoke to the woman. (2) The woman replied, "My grandmother said to me, 'Go to where there is a man!' And so I came." That is how she spoke to him. (3) Eagle replied, "Very good! I t is well that you have come, my wife." That is how Eagle spoke to the woman. 3. Coyote spoke, " I will leave you, brother! I will go away, my older brother, I will leave you." That is how Coyote spoke to Eagle. Eagle said to him, "Very well! You may go. It is well that I shall be alone. (2) I too shall plan how all sorts of things are to be in this land." That is how his older brother Eagle spoke to Coyote. (3) He (Coyote) said to him, " I shall go as far as there is land. I shall go so far, until where I die. The people coming are nearby now. (4) I shall make over whatever there is now here that is not right. I shall fix it properly, and then it will be a different land, (with) different people." (5) That is how Coyote spoke to his older brother Eagle. Coyote said to him, "Never again will you be as you are, or I as I am. The people will be different now." That is how he spoke to his older brother Eagle. (6) " I am leaving you now, I am parting from you forever. You will not plan as much as I shall plan about all sorts of things that are to be done here. (7) A different land will come (to be) here, there will be different people now, because of my ruling (that it be so)." Eagle said to him, "Very well! Youmay go." Coyote wentaway. He went far, faraway. 4. He arrived at, "There is a dangerous being here at this place in the river." He turned aside there at a rock. He called out, "Oh! let us contend and swallow each other!" 1 (2) The dangerous being did not give him (much) thought. "Let him be there! It is Coyote." He knew it was Coyote. "Let him be!" (3) Coyote went out of sight, made himself different in appearance, and came again to that very same place. He shouted, "Ah! let us swallow each other!" 1 He saw it was Coyote. (4) "Let him be!" (But) he thought of him silently. Coyote went away, again he made himself different, he came back to the very same place again, he appeared in view in different guise, though it was still he. (5) He shouted 1

Pulsing basso monotone chant.

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differently, "Let us swallow each other!" 1 He saw it was Coyote. "Let him be!" He went away, again he made himself different. That was how he treated the dangerous being, five times. 5. The dangerous being became tired of it. 'I will gulp that damn fellow Coyote, he is a nuisance.-' He (Coyote) appeared by the rocks. "Let us contend and gulp each other!" 1 He thought him a nuisance. (2) He gulped down Coyote, at that place (inside) sat (Coyote). He saw, "What can this be, dangling here?" He took a bag for carrying flints, took out a flint, and cut it through. (3) "What can this be dangling? I t must be the heart of the dangerous being." He cut through it, cut it clear off! The dangerous being gave a gasp a - , la-'--, out came whatever the dangerous being had swallowed. (4) He gasped out all of them, everything that is in this country. Those people were there, and they all came out. There Coyote laughed, "Huhuhu, huhuhu." (5) This dangerous being had been a person who swallowed things. At no place will it be like that, the people coming are nearby now. Although people will go along in canoes, you may only frighten them, but you may not swallow them. (6) Nowhere will you do it like that. The people coming are nearby now." Coyote made over all the people. Those became people who had been the ones swallowed by the dangerous being. (7) That place is named "person-who-swallows," it was in the (Columbia) river. Coyote completed it all. And then he went on. 6. " I shall go as far as there is land, to the sunrise. Now I shall go." Coyote went away. He reached there, there was a different dangerous being again. (2) She sat at that place on the other side of the river, there sat the Soft Basket Person, the dangerous person. Coyote went down to the waterside at that place, and said to her, "How are you, sister-in-law ?2 How might I get across, sister-in-law?" (3) The Soft Basket Person burst into laughter, "Huhuhuhu. Yes indeed, brother-in-law, come across!" — "With what could I cross ?" (4) She said to him, "Oh, yes! Over there at that place is my husband, he has a canoe to cross with there, you may cross over here at that place." 7. Coyote went there, he reached there. On the other side Crane was making a canoe. Coyote called out to him, "Come across to me, old man! I want to cross over. Come across to me!" (2) The old man extended his legs across the river. He said to him, "Cross over on them there!" Coyote replied, "Oh no, I might fall in." (3) That is how Coyote replied to him. He said to him, "Not at all! Come across!" They talked back and forth at each other for 1 2

Pulsing basso monotone chant . In-law, after the decease of the kin intermediary.

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a long time. I n vain did he say to him, "Come across!" (4) Coyote replied, " I will certainly not cross. I might fall in." He said to him, "Not at all! Come across!" — "No! I shall make a canoe also, I shall cross with t h a t . " (5) That is how he replied to him. The latter (Crane) belonged to the Soft Basket Person, he was not her husband at all, he merely killed people for (her) food. (6) If anyone did cross over, Crane would draw up his legs, they would fall into the water, he would seize them, give them to the Soft Basket Person, and the Soft Basket Person would eat them. That is how she wished to do it to Coyote. (7) But Coyote played smart too, he would not cross over at all. Coyote also knew (what was what) there. So he went away, he made a canoe. "I'll cross over now." Coyote crossed over, he went on, he reached the Soft Basket Person's place. 8. He said, " T h a t is not your husband, by no means did he cross over to me. I called to him in vain." That is how he spoke to the Soft Basket Person. (2) She said to him, "You did not want to cross." That is how she spoke to him. " B u t very well, brother-in-law, you have come now. You are my brother-in-law." 9. In this manner the Soft Basket Person spoke to Coyote. "How is it t h a t you have become white?" Coyote replied to her, "Yes indeed! I heated rocks, and when the rocks were hot, I p u t pitch all over myself a t t h a t place, and I threw myself on to the hot rocks there. (2) That is how I became white. I burned myself with the pitch. T h a t is how I became like t h a t . " The Soft Basket Person said to him, "Oh dear! Now I could be white like t h a t also. I want to be like t h a t too." (3) He said to her, "Well, prepare pitch, while I heat rocks! You will get the pitch ready meanwhile." The Soft Basket Person replied, "Very well. I shall get the pitch." 10. She went to obtain pitch, she prepared a lot of pitch. Coyote heated rocks. The Soft Basket Person brought the pitch, and said to him, " I shall strip off all my clothes." "Very well." (2) So she became like t h a t (stripped), the Soft Basket Person stripped completely. Coyote said to her, " I shall put pitch on you." (3) H e rubbed pitch all over her, and said to her, "Throw yourself into the fire. The rocks are already hot." The Soft Basket Person almost cast herself into t h e fire. (4) "Oh dear! I might burn." Coyote said to her, "You would not burn at all!" T h a t is how the Soft Basket Person told him, five times. She would make as if to. At length he convinced her. (5) Then the Soft Basket Person cast herself into the fire. The pitch blazed up. "Ow!" (said) the Soft Basket Person, " I am burning." Coyote took a stick, he held her down in it, and the Soft Basket Person burned up. Coyote roasted the Soft Basket Person there.

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11. He covered her over, and said, "Nowhere will you be a dangerous being. The people coming are nearby now. You will not be like that! You will (not) eat people, not like that! (2) When the people are here, if a child should cry they will speak like this, 'The Soft Basket Person will hear you.' That is how a child will be told. The child will be frightened immediately. (3) But you will never really eat them!" That is how Coyote spoke to the Soft Basket Person. Then the aforementioned person became Crane, he never again made canoes, Crane quit. That is how Coyote completed it (there). He left. He had killed the Soft Basket Person. 12. Coyote went far, far away. At a certain place he defecated his two sisters. " I have come to where there is a dangerous being. I am near it now." (2) The two sisters said to him, " Y o u have come to where there is a dangerous being. Take good care of yourself." That is how the two sisters spoke to him. " H e is a man, he has one leg, and one arm. (3) He spears salmon, Chinook salmon, with the one arm. He stands there on his one leg." Coyote replied, "Very well, enter me! my two sisters!" They entered him. 13. He went on, he came to where he could see him. He saw a man standing there, one legged, and one armed. He was spearing salmon at the very edge at the falls. (2) Coyote thought, " I shall become a Chinook salmon myself, and I shall pull him into the water." That is how Coyote thought. (3) Then that is how Coyote transformed himself into a Chinook salmon, Coyote became a Chinook salmon, he went on beneath the water, he had turned himself into a Chinook salmon. The Chinook salmon (Coyote) went upstream. (4) He (the man) saw him, "Oh! it is Coyote. Let him be there!" The Chinook salmon (Coyote) went on up stream. " L e t him be! I shall not spear him." (5) He became (he transformed himself into) another Chinook salmon over again. He (the man) saw him. "Let him be there! I t is only Coyote." 14. I t was five times like that, and then the man tired of it. He thought, " I will kill Coyote." "Salmon, the Chinook salmon(Coyote) was coming along up river." (2) The man speared him, and pulled out Coyote. "Oh dear, my friend! Do not club and kill me! Let me go as I am! Do not kill me in such a manner!" " W h y have you become a Chinook salmon like t h a t ? " (3) Coyote went on, he did not kill him. "Let him be! Coyote is a poor fellow." He (Coyote) said to him (to the man), "That is how he will be, indeed. (4) Even though one armed and one legged, he will do things. He will travel about with his one leg." That is how Coyote spoke to him. And Coyote went on. (5) "You could not throw me into the water. That is how you were talking (though). That is what I shall do.

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It will not be for you to throw (me) into the water." This ia how he spoke to Coyote, "Begone now!" 15. Coyote went away. He arrived at, he came near, where another dangerous being was. He reached that place. He spoke to them, he defecated his two sisters. (2) "Tell me!" They said to him, "You always reply directly, 'That is just what I had forgotten, I knew it.' Now you yourself speak! Study it out yourself!"—"Oh no! Come! rain! Break them up! Damn you! t't't't'," he made (spitting). (2) "Oh dear! We will tell you, brother." So they told him, "You have come near it, there is a boy, he has two dogs. One is named tili-'lqa, the other is named waxmu'. He has two dogs." (3) Coyote told them, "You will be two dogs, my two sisters. One will be named tili'lqa, one waxmu'. When I arrive there, he might say something to me." 16. He went to that place, the boy saw him. "A dangerous being has come to me." He said to him (to the boy), "Oh, friend! I am glad to see you. Let us play. I call my dogs one waxmu', the other tili-'lqa." (2) The boy thought, "The dogs are named exactly like mine also." Coyote said to him, "Let them play, both waxmu's." (3) The boy said to him, "Ah, friend! He might kill my dog. I do not wish it to be like that." Coyote said to him, "It can never be that way. (4) It is the custom, (for you to accept the challenge, because) we have seen (met) each other. Let us have a good game with the dogs." That is how he spoke to the boy. (5) The boy said. "Very well then! I accept your challenge." They played, the two waxmu's fought one another, and Coyote's waxmu' killed the boy's waxmu'. (6) He said to him, "Friend, he has killed my dog." That is how he spoke to him. Coyote laughed, "Hu'hu'hu'." 17. And again, both tili'lqas were to play. The boy was convinced of defeat, and he said to him, "No! I like the one dog I have left." Coyote laughed, "Hu'hu'hu'hu'. (2)The people will not be like that, they will amuse themselves with all sorts of games, but they will not be like that." Coyote convinced him. 18. Then both tili'lqas played, and Coyote's tili'lqa killed the boy's. Oh! the boy felt badly about it. He (Coyote) told him, "That is how the future people will be when they meet one another. (2) They will amuse themselves with all sorts of things. That is how it will be. Where indeed are you to be a dangerous being, killing all sorts of things with dogs ? (3) The people coming are nearby now. Nevermore shall you be killing with your dogs." That is how he spoke to the boy. He had killed both his dogs. (4) Those of Coyote were by no means dogs, they were his sisters he had defecated, they had become those two dogs, that is how he had made 6

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dogs against the boy. (5) He left him. "They will not be like that. The coming people are nearby now. There will be merely bad (mean) dogs, they will bite people, but they will never kill. They will be mere dogs." That is how Coyote spoke to the boy. 19. Coyote went away. "I am going to a land far away." Coyote went along, and again he defecated his two sisters. "Tell me how far I have gone now! I shall be coming to another dangerous being again." (2) The two sisters said to him, "Look! Over yonder is a mountain. (People) go across to there. When the dangerous being throws a big rock, if (you) throw it across maybe a bit short, he may kill you. (3) If you do throw it across, you may kill him." That is how the two sisters spoke to him. He said to them, "You become the very same sort of thing that he has to throw with, you become the same kind of thing, and 1 shall throw you. (4) Tf he gives me his own, I shall not take it. I shall probably tell him, 'Let us play! Here is mine, of the same kind (as yours). (5) Supposing you (play) with your own, and I with my own. If you desire, you may throw mine, and I shall throw yours across to the mountain.' That is all." That is how he spoke to his sister. His one sister became just like a ball. 20. Coyote went on, he came to the man. There the man was sitting, and at that place he had that plaything of his. Coyote came there. "Oh, friend! How do you feel about it? Let us play!" he said. (2) The man looked at him. "Oh dear, my friend!" (and) "He might be a dangerous being." That is how he felt about him, he was a little afraid of Coyote. (3) "My friend, that is how I have been going about, to where I might find something nice. At that place I myself might have a good time." (4) That is how Coyote spoke to him. He said to him (to Coyote), "Well, well, (my) friend! I have a plaything here. Supposing we play, we shall play just a short while." (5) He (Coyote) said to him, "All right!" He said, "I have here my own plaything of the very same kind." He said to him (to Coyote), "Well, well! That one of yours is no good. This one of mine is better." (6) That is how he spoke to Coyote. Coyote said to him, "Why, do not speak in such a manner! In custom we must play. It is just for that reason that you have your plaything, and in the same way I have mine." That is how Coyote spoke to the man. 21. He said to him (to Coyote), "Very well! Let us throw across to the mountain there." Said Coyote to him, "Yes! I myself know the game also. This of mine is the very same sort of thing." (2) Coyote brought it out, the man looked at it. "Oh dear! He must be a dangerous being too." He (Coyote) said to him, "Very well!

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Ready! Let us play!" (3) He (the man) said to him, "This is mine." Coyote said to him, "This of mine is the same kind. Supposing you throw this one first." (4) He said to him, "No, I'll throw this one of mine first." The man said it to Coyote. Coyote said to him, "Very well. You throw first, and afterwards I shall." (5) That is how he spoke to him. The man said to him, " N o ! " Coyote said to him, "That is how I feel about it myself. You throw this one of mine." That is how Coyote spoke to him. (6) He said to him (to Coyote), "Very well! I shall throw that one of yours, or you may throw i t . " — " V e r y well!" said Coyote, "You throw your own, and I my own." (7) He said to him (to Coyote), "No! Let us both throw mine." Said Coyote, "Very well!" Coyote took it. "Let us throw! Ready!" That is how he spoke to the man. He said to him (to Coyote), "No! You first!" He (Coyote) said to him, " N o ! " 22. He (Coyote) thought, " I shall throw it right over the mountain. Coyote took it, Coyote wished it (magically) to be nothing. Coyote threw it far, far over to the mountain, it went over it. (2) The man stood up, to no purpose did he speak. He (Coyote) said to him, " I shall kill you." He said to him (to Coyote), "Why! I will give you fine things, you may go away with them. I will give you a cane. Then I shall be (still) alive." (3) "See here! I t will not be like that at all. The people traveling this way are near now." That is how he (Coyote) spoke to him. (4) He threw his (the man's) plaything far out of sight (and took the cane). Coyote went away from that place. 23. He came to another place, many people were assembled there. His two sisters had told him, "This is what they are doing. They are tossing rings and shooting arrows through." (2) " I shall make it." Coyote made the very same sort of thing. " I shall do it in the same manner too." He reached there. 24. "Oh! a chief has come!" He (the chief of that place) said to him, "Should you beat me, you may kill me." That is what the chief did (to travelers). Coyote replied, "Oh! I myself have the very same kind of plaything." (2) "Very well then! Let us play." Coyote took it out, he had made his own ring in the same manner, it was probably his own sister he had fashioned. (3) He said to him, "That is how I shall do it (with this one)." He said to the chief, "Let us both do it in that manner." The chief replied to him, "Very well!" (4) The chief did it, but the chief's did not drop (and score). Coyote would win every time, he beat the chief, he beat him. 25. Coyote had made the arrows (from the cane of) the dangerous man who had given him the cane. 1 By means of it (the cane) he 1

Translation uncertain. 6*

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cheated and deceived m a n y people. (2) T h a t was what he had given him. By means of it Coyote had become (more) powerful. H e had made his own sister just like a ring, and by means of it he had cheated the chief, he beat the chief. 26. He (the chief) said to him, "Oh! you must be a dangerous being, you have outwitted me." T h a t is how he spoke to Coyote. " L e t me be alive, do not do anything to me! (2) (Of) as many people (as you see here), none ever beat me. Of as m a n y of the different people t h a t have assembled here, none ever beat me. You must be a dangerous being indeed. (3) You have beaten me now. I will give you the knife I have; with it I kill people. And I will give it t o you now, Coyote. (4) If they kill you anywhere, you will never die, though you be dead (unconscious) for a while, you will revive again. T h a t is how you will be, and I will be (still) alive then. Go now!" T h a t is how he spoke to Coyote. 27. Said Coyote to him, "Very well! The people coming are near now. Nevermore will you be killing people. Here there will be land, and in this country people will assemble. (2) They will always have a big time with this (ring game). I n t h a t manner (with no hard feelings) the people will part. This place will be for t h e purpose of having a good time. (3) The people coming are now near this place. The chief will never govern like t h a t then. There will be no big gathering like t h a t , at any time, at this place." T h a t is how Coyote ordained. The chief gave him the knife. 28. Coyote went away. H e planned and completed the plans for everything« Then he left, and he went on. The last thing he said was like this, " T h a t is how the people will be in future, when the people arrive. That is how there will be great gatherings a t this place." 29. Coyote went away, he went far away. The two sisters told him (what the situation was), whenever he went on. He would defecate (them). " R e a d y ! Tell me! (2) I shall be arriving at a place of the people. W h a t should I become?" T h a t is how he would speak. The two sisters would tell him, "Yes! you have come where there are m a n y people, you have arrived a t a place of t h e people." (3) Coyote said, "Very well! B u t how shall I be ?" They said to him, "When you reach there soon, you will see there are many people." He replied, "Yes!" — (4) "If they say to you, ' W h a t do you know of so and so V you will reply, 'Yes! I myself also know about nice things, as far as the land lies, for I travel about it t h e r e . ' " — (5) " I know t h a t too!" T h a t is how he spoke to

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his sister. "That is how you will tell them."' That is how the two sisters spoke to him. He said, "Ready! enter me! my sisters!" They entered, and Coyote went on forthwith. 30. He came to where there were many people. He was seen. "A chief has come!" He was told, "So you have come, chief!" He replied, "Yes! I have come." (2) That is how he spoke to them. " I myself also know everything, for I travel about through the land. I know how everything will be." That is how he spoke to them. 31. The chief said to him, "You go and do whatever you know." Coyote replied, "Very well! I myself know it too." Long ago, in the beginning, that man had told him. (2) I t was the boy whose dogs he had killed, who had given him a cane1. Coyote held that cane. He replied, "Very well! Now I myself shall play." The chief said to him, "Very well!" He replied, "All of you assemble here! Enter the house!" (3) All the people entered. He said to him, "Now loan me a woman. This is how I know something very nice, I, chief Coyote."1 They loaned him a woman. (4) The people danced the war dance, there was chief Coyote2. Long ago he (the boy) had said, "That cane became many people." It was just as the boy had told him. "Nothing will happen to you (with that cane), as many dangerous beings as there are, nothing will be done to you, they will not kill you." (5) That is how he had been told, that was how he had that cane, and he had the knife. That is how Coyote had obtained them from the dangerous beings, he had tricked them as he went along. 32. The people were having a big time. He had left the cane outside. "Become many people from the one sole cane! Arise in anger, at as many houses as there are!" — "wa ! / ," they arose in anger. (2) It had not yet dawned, when Coyote gave the war whoop, "a-'— a ' -- a ' -- 'a-'-u, 'a'u'a'u'a'u," (cried) Coyote. "You have caused angry feelings! Give up that woman! Return the woman to your friend!" That is what the people did. (3) It dawned. They all returned the woman (loaned to Coyote) to his friend. "Very well! All right!" said the chief to him (when Coyote returned her). 33. "That is how this land will always be, when the people come, that is how this land will always be. In future they will loan a woman for a single night. That is how this land will be." Coyote made it that way. 34. From that place he went on again. 'I shall be going until I have reached the very end, wherever there are dangerous beings. I shall complete it all, I, Coyote, according to my brother Eagle's 1 2

According to p. 71 the man had given the cane. Monotone chant.

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plan, just as Eagle planned it. (2) That is how I shall travel on, just as the great chief Eagle said it should be in the Klikitat country. There will be a great law kept there. That is how I shall plan everything. (3) There will be people there. That is how it will be made in accordance with my ruling. In future the people will say, 'That is how Coyote was.' That plan of mine will be completed." (4) That is how Coyote spoke. There where the country is now that is named the Umatilla country, to that place Coyote had come. That is how the people were, there. I t is Coyote's rule that it be so at the present time. 35. That is so far, now. 29. C o y o t e d e v i s e s f i s h i n g m e t h o d s ; he c h o p s

trees.1

1. When Coyote had completed all five foods,2 he went on. He arrived at where there was a little river. Coyote reflected, " I wonder what kind of fish there will be at this place, and how the people will catch them ?" (2) He made and wove a cylindrical fish basket trap. The salmon did not enter it at all. The fish would go near it and turn back directly the very way they had come. (3) "Oh!" 3 Coyote reflected, but he (did) not (know) how he could catch the salmon. 2. He defecated his two sisters. He said, "Hurry, tell me!" They said to him, "Why indeed! You should not do it like that. No! You should make a fish trap barrier, and make it clear across and obstruct (the river)." (2) So that is what Coyote did. He blockaded (the river), and at that place he made a dip net. (3) The two sisters told him, "From the direction the salmon are coming, they will go into the fish trap. You will dip net them there. They will come into it, you will catch them there." (4) That is how they told him, that is how Coyote did it. Sure enough the salmon came into it. he caught them there. Coyote said, "That is exactly how it shall be in this river. That is how the people shall do to salmon, down below the fish barrier trap." 3. He went on, he reached this country. He said, "You fish and salmon, you will enter this little stream right here!" Coyote made a fish trap, above it he made a fishing platform, and at that place Coyote dip netted. (2) He caught white salmon above there. He said. "This will be a river.4 That is how people will do to salmon." That is how Coyote named it. 1 2 3

Told August 1926; interpreter, J . J . Spencer, March 1928. Idiomatic, meaning, all the foods. 1 White Salmon River. Falsetto.

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4. From that place Coyote walked on. He came to "Here is another river."1 At that place he made it (planned). "How will they catch salmon?" At that place he made and wove it (a fish basket trap), and he tied it in to keep it in position at the falls. (2) Chinook salmon came to there. At that place they jumped right into it. He pulled out (the fish basket), Chinook salmon lay inside. (3) He clubbed them to death. Coyote said, "That is how it shall be in future." That is how he spoke. "The people coming are nearby now." 5. Coyote walked on leisurely. "Now I, Coyote, shall go on as far as the salmon will go, with my law. (2) In future there will be no salmon in all the little brooks (that there are). But there (in larger streams) there will be salmon." That is how Coyote spoke. 6. He went on. He came to "Here is a lake. I wonder what I should plan here."—"That is how you should do it." He drove and scared them about, the fish swam in a bunch towards a wedge pointed place, he followed them with the canoe to that place, he trapped them in there, he caught little salmon there. "That is how it shall be in this land." 7. From that place Coyote went away to another river; he reached there. There is a fall at this place. At that place Coyote made it (the falls), he figured out how it should be. (2) "I can not catch (fish) here. What shall I do?" That is how Coyote was at that place. He defecated his two sisters. "Tell me! How could I catch salmon here?" They told him, "Make a canoe." (3) He made a bark canoe, he peeled it (bark) off a tree and made the canoe. "That is how you should do it." He made and wove this (a net). (4) "People will dwell opposite one another. They will not converse with one another across the river, only with their hands."2 Coyote said, "The people who will come are nearby now. That is how there will be salmon in this river." (5) So Coyote spoke. That is how salmon reached there. That is how Coyote caught salmon with a spear, he speared them, he made no fish trap barrier, but (he did it) by spearing. 8. He went away from that place. He saw a man traveling towards him. "He is coming this way, I saw him coming this way. He fells trees as he goes along. u--u"! Very good, that man coming!" (2) He came near to him, apparently it was a dangerous being going along. He would take his own (penis), he would lean it against a tree, he would stand it against that tree, the tree would 1 2

Klickitat Creek near Lyle. At the Wishram and Wasco villages of the upper Chinook Indians, east of the Dalles.

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fall down. (3) Coyote said, "Friend, let us trade (penises)!" He replied, " I do not want t o trade. I want it myself." Said Coyote, "Ah no, I do want yours, indeed! I will t r a d e with you." (4) He said it five times, he got the better of him (in arguing). He replied, "Very well! I will give it to you." He went f r o m t h a t place a f t e r giving it to him. 9. Coyote did it in t h a t (same) manner. I t was tiresome, especially when it was far away from a tree. Then it (his new penis) would bite at him. (2) Coyote became afraid as he ran along with it. I t tired out Coyote, he had to lie down, Coyote lost consciousness. Nearby there he followed him, he whose (penis) it was. (3) Coyote lay there lifeless. He said to him, " W h a t is the matter ?" " I am exhausted. I will return i t . " H e replied, "Very well." Coyote returned it again. That is how Coyote was a trader. " I will remain h e r e . " 30. W i l d C a t p l a y s t r i c k s o n C o y o t e . 1 1. Coyote was there, Coyote was there with his brother wild cat. Wild cat used to go to catch cottontail rabbits, he would shoot cottontail rabbits with arrows, and he would carry t h e m back t o the house of his brother Coyote. (2) The two brothers would eat them. Coyote said to him, "How do you kill this ?" His brother Wild Cat wanted to make him (look) foolish. (3) "Usually I go to a good place where there are a great many bushes, perhaps. A t t h a t place I sit down. Cottontail rabbits come and stick on me (on m y penis). (4) With m y eyes shut I know when there seem to be m a n y (on it). Then I look, slowly, and I see t h e y are stuck on it. I kill them there. T h a t is how I do i t . " "Very well, brother! If you can do it t h e n I can do it too." 2. Coyote went away. When he reached it (he said), " I t is good here, just as my brother was saying." Coyote sat down (naked) a t t h a t place, Cottontail Rabbits fastened on him. (2) Coyote's eyes (were) shut. H e felt, " T h e y make my penis ticklish." He looked slowly. "There are cottontail rabbits!" H e killed them. "Well, well, so t h a t is how my brother did it! P r e t t y soon I shall eat, I shall t a k e t h e m home soon to my brother Wild Cat." (3) At t h a t place Coyote roasted a cottontail rabbit on a stick. He ate it all up. Then he did it again. Coyote shut his eyes. He felt, "Now they are stuck on me." (4) Slowly he looked. "Oh, the ants nearly bit off my (penis)." H e arose, dusted himself, and returned home. 1

Told August 1926; interpreter, Peter McGuff. Note the version of the fourth myth by Eyley Jr., p. 107.

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(He had) no cottontail rabbits. He reached his brother's and he said to him, "Where is your cottontail rabbit?" Coyote had nothing to say. 3. Wild cat used to go away and bring back dried sliced salmon, and the two brothers would eat it. Coyote said, "How do you get this ?" He replied, " I go (where there are) many good logs. (2) There I split them (saying), wa'ctukils! wa'ctukils! wa'ctukils!1 They become slices of dried salmon. It is this I have been bringing back." "Ah, brother! I also shall do it the very same way." 4. Coyote went. Here he found a wooden log. At that place he split it (saying), wa'ctukils! wa'ctukils! wa'ctukils! I t became sliced dried salmon. There Coyote ate it. (2) " I shall eat it. After a little while I shall take it home to my brother." Coyote ate, he ate it all up. Again he split it, again (saying), wa'ctukils! wa'ctukils! wa'ctukils! The wood held him tight. (3) Coyote sat down there, there was no way he could break out of it. His brother learned it was so. He wished and Coyote's penis came out of it. He went back home without dried salmon, he arrived. He said to him, "Where do you have i t ? " "No!" (from) Coyote. 5. He said to him, " I do not do it like that. I go where there are people, to such a place I go, I arrive there in the dark, I obtain them where they have lots of salmon. (2) That is where I get them. That is what I have been bringing home." Coyote said, "Let us both go." He replied, "Very well." 6. The two brothers Coyote and Wild Cat went away. They reached there. There were many people, they had salmon. At that place when it was dark they entered a house, there were salmon in the house. (2) The people were quite asleep. The brothers did it, they stole the salmon. As for Wild Cat, he got out all right, he returned home (with salmon). 7. Coyote also carried salmon in that manner. But there at the fireplace he went round and round (blindly, inside the house), he did not get anywhere. (2) He became tired out at that place, he sat down there and rested. He looked upwards. "Ah! There is a hole. Evidently the sky must have had a hole broken through it." (He sees through the smoke hole.) And then at that place Coyote went to sleep. (3) When it dawned the people saw him, the people had woke up. They saw, "What can it be indeed ? Here is Coyote packing a load by the fire, Coyote is seated there." (4) They clubbed Coyote to death, they carried him out and threw him aside. But 1

A formula or incantation very likely used only by Coyote in this myth, wacmay be from i'wac, "penis". Wild Cat claims that he chops at the wood with his penis, the chips becoming slices of dried salmon.

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Coyote was to revive later on, he was to go away and return home. Coyote was unconscious indeed at t h a t place. 8. I n the darkness Coyote came to. H e saw, " I t is dark now." H e said, " I must have fallen asleep inadvertently. So now I shall be going back home." He returned to where his brother's house was, Coyote went homewards. (2) He arrived there, and told him, ' 'How did you come to be there unintentionally ?" — "Oh no, brother! I was only sleeping." By no means did he say, " T h e y clubbed me on the head." T h a t he did not say. 9. There the two brothers were. Wild Cat used to go away, come back with duck, and the brothers would eat it. Coyote said t o him, "How do you do it ?" (2) H e replied, " I usually go to a lake, there are many (ducks) there. I go to such a place, and I see them there. 1 I take a stick, and this is how I go, 'To the rear! little ones! to the front! big ones! My eyes are shut as I go. My eyes are shut as I go, holding a stick !'2 (3) When I look I see there are ducks and geese. I t a k e the stick, and I go out to the open place. I sing, 'To the rear! little ones! and, to the front! big ones! My eyes are shut.' 2 (4) T h a t is how I dance about lightly, singing. Then t h e y look at me, b u t I do not look. You must shut your eyes. Then you may look. When (they come) near you must t a k e a good stick, with a single blow you strike them dead, except the little ones. T h a t is how I do i t . " T h a t is how his brother Wild Cat told him. 10. Coyote went away, he came a t length to t h a t place. H e took a stick, Coyote sang. H e danced hopping lightly. Birds (swans) came to him, the little ones in the rear, the big ones t o the front. (2) The swans said, " L e t us carry away Coyote." They seized Coyote, t h e y placed him upon themselves, t h e y carried him aloft. (3)As they went, the swans trumpeted,"kukuku' kukuku' kukuku' !" 3 Coyote saw, " I am high up now!" Then Coyote also (cried), "kukuku' kukuku' kukuku' !" 3 They saw (it was he crying). "Oh, now let Coyote go!" They dropped Coyote, Coyote tumbled into the mud down below. 1 2 3

Literally, "Then I see 'Now (there) they are' ". H e sings in a monotone chant and dances holding the club over the left shoulder. Falsetto cries.

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31. G r i z z l y g o e s mad. C o y o t e a d o p t s E a g l e , t r i c k s him a n d t a k e s h i s w i v e s , r e l e a s e s s a l m o n , is d u p e d by a n d dupes Wolves.1 1. There were many people. There was a man, he had as wives grizzly and bear, the man's wives were two. Grizzly spoke, " I am having my menses, I am going to the underground house." (2) She went to the underground house. She had two children, one girl, and one little boy. The girl was a little bigger than the boy. (3) They were Grizzly's children. Bear had no children. There were many people. " I shall be away five nights before I return home," she said. (4) Her two children went to see her, and she said to them, "Tomorrow I shall return home. Bring me my dishes and blankets." The girl said, " I shall go give them to my mother. Tomorrow she will return home." She took the dishes and blankets, she went to give them to her mother. The girl returned home. 2. Grizzly fixed herself all up, she fixed her claws, she put on the blankets. That was how she tried out herself (in her Grizzly dress). The girl and boy went to see their mother. (2) They saw "Oh, she has become a dangerous being, our mother is a dangerous being!" They ran away homewards. Their mother saw them, and said to them, "Oh, why are you running? (3) I have not become a dangerous being. Come here!" They said to their mother, "Oh no, indeed you have become a dangerous being." (4) They ran away towards the house, both boy and girl, and they told the people, "Our mother has become a dangerous being." The people were frightened. They became all different sorts of things then. (5) Bear herself went high up in a tree, she was her (Grizzly's) rival. Buzzard himself became a loose door flap. Grizzly had a husband, also Bear, Bow was the man who was husband of them both. (6) He himself stayed hanging up, a mere bow, in the house. While all the other people feared the dangerous person. 3. The boy and the girl had a little dog. They tied up that dog, they told it, "Do not show her too soon where we have gone. You should not tell her in exactly that direction, but show her every other direction. (2) In that direction she will run, but she will not find us. Again she will return, and again she will abuse you (saying), 'Where have they gone to?' and then in that direction you will show her. (3) But only until we have gone far away should you 1

Told September 1927; interpreter, Peter McGuff, some days later at White Swan. Upper Cowlitz versions appear in the second myth of Eyley Jr., p. 103, and the seventh of Jim Yoke, p. 191; note also the tenth myth of Eyley Sr., p. 159.

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show her (the right direction). Then she will follow us." That is what they told the dog. 4. To be sure, that is just how it happened with Grizzly. She came out of the underground house. "There are no people, the houses are empty, there are no people." (2) She was puzzled, she saw there were no people. She ran from house to house, but (there were) no people. She opened a house. "Wa-'-wa-'-," said Buzzard. "Wa-'-wa-'-wa-'-." (3) "Oh, apparently that is what has become of all the people." Thereupon she killed all the things, for they had all been persons. 5. Coyote himself lay down, there was a log there, there were maggots on the log.1 She did nothing at all to Coyote. Coyote said, "If you seize me I shall make your anus full of maggots." Then, "Oh it is dangerous!" thought Grizzly. " I shall not take it. Away with it!" 6. Grizzly ran this way and that, she killed everything there. She ran to the dog, she said to it, "Where have they gone ? Show me!" "Wa-'----" replied the dog, "They went in that direction there." (2) And so she ran in that direction. Nothing (in t h a t direction)! She came back again, she got to the dog, she abused it (to make it tell), she said to it, "Show me where they went to!" "Wa'••••"' replied the dog, "They ran away in that direction." (3) But (there was) no (trace there), again she returned. She got to it (the dog). That was the way she did, five times. Then he showed her the right direction (saying), "They went in that direction." In that direction she followed them. 7. The girl and her brother had gone far, far away. He had become a big man. Then they had sexual intercourse (he and his sister). The girl remained as wife with her husband. (2) Grizzly wandered about (wondering), "Where have they gone ?" The man lived there. He used to shoot and kill deer. His wife would tell him, "Do not go in this particular direction, go about only in this other direction, not in this direction." (3) That is what his wife told him. The man thought, "Why may it be that she tells me such things ? I shall go (anyhow) in this very direction." So thereupon he went on (in this very direction). 8. He saw the dangerous being, Grizzly, going along. She saw him, she came up to him (saying), "a-' h u ." 2 She sat down. u "a-'—h , I have found you. I have been tired out a long time now from looking for you. 3 How are you ?" (2) The man replied, "There 1 2 3

Coyote had transformed himself into the maggots on the log. A sigh of fatigue. In the basso of Grizzly.

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is nothing the matter with me." (Grizzly said) "Look for my head lice!" That is what the man (did), he looked (for her head lice). (3) He saw them. "You have dangerous things on your head. They are not what is called head lice, but they are dangerous things indeed." (4) She replied to him, "Oh, not at all! They are indeed my head lice. Give me them!" He gave them to her, she crunched and ate them. They were dangerous things indeed, (probably toads) not head lice at all. (5) She said to him, " I n return I will look for your head lice." That is what she said to the man. He replied. "Very well then." (6) For a short while she looked for his head lice. The man became sleepy, she seized his head, broke his neck and killed the man. From that place she went towards his house. 9. At the house was his wife, and she saw the dangerous one coming. She could not think of anything to do (to escape). "What shall I do with her?" She had a baby boy. (2) She set the child upon the cradle board against the wall. Then she wished (a spring), there she placed (a little) water, there she placed the baby. (3) Grizzly arrived. "a '-x u , I am feeling very badly now with my wandering about. I am dry and thirsty." The wife told Grizzly, "Over there is a little of the child's water." (4) She saw there was a bit of water there, she uncovered it. The wife wished that it (the water) become lower. She (Grizzly) said to her, "Now I want to drink." Then she (Grizzly) drank. Lower and lower became the water. (5) Again the dangerous one took a drink, still lower became the water. When the water was really very low she (Grizzly) crawled down into (the spring), the wife seized her leg, and right into the water she shoved her. (6) She wished the water to go down still further. There (into that spring) the woman pushed Grizzly. She was dead, that was her end. Then she (the woman) remained there alone. 10. Now Coyote came along! 1 He learned that at this place was a woman who had no husband. Coyote wept as he went along, "Those are all the brothers I have!" (And) "Ah, it would be very disappointing to me if the woman should think of me, 'He must be indeed an old man.'" (2) Then (he said), "Older brother! older brother! older brother!" (And) "Oh, it might be too bad for me if the woman should think of me,1 'He seems to be only a boy.'" (Then he said) "Same age as she is! same age as she is! same age as she is i" 1 (3) So Coyote sang as he went along. The woman heard him. " I t is Coyote who is coming singing." She took all the food and meat she had and threw it into the fire. I t made a big fire. The woman 1

The comic, monotone chant identified with the peregrinations of Coyote.

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had the child hold meat in one hand, grease in the other. (4) Then the woman cast herself into the fire. Coyote arrived there! 1 "Oh, indeed, there is no woman! There is only a baby on a cradle board." (5) He searched around, but there was no woman, he could not (find her). ' Oh dear, oh dear, where could she have gone ?" Coyote tried everything (to locate her), but there was no woman. 11. So he defecated his two sisters. He said to them, " R e a d y now, tell me what the situation is!" They told him, " I n a moment you will be saying, 'That is exactly what I had known all along.'" (2) "Aha! Hurry up and tell me! Should you not tell me, rain will come, and you will get wet all through." 2 One sister said to him, "Oh, now I shall tell you the situation." (3) So, the sister told him about it. "While you were coming along you wept, she heard you (and she said), 'Now t h a t good for nothing Coyote is singing and coming along. (4) I do not want him.' She burned up all her food. After that, she burned herself up. The child she merely stood on its cradle board." Coyote retorted, "That is just what I was thinking also." (5) Then (he said), "Ready now, my two sisters, come inside!" The two sisters went back into him. He took the child. "He will be my own child." 3 Thereupon Coyote took him and carried him away. 12. The boy grew up. 3 I t was not long a t all before he had grown to be big and tall. He went out to hunt, he shot and killed many of all kinds of deer. (2) He took five wives (who were) Mice, (one) Cricket, and (one) Turtle Dove, t h a t many (seven) became his wives. Coyote's son now had many wives. 13. There (where they were) Coyote would lie on his back! 4 At that place Coyote would make a fire of willow sticks, when the fire wood crackled and popped the wives would dodge. (2) Then quite visible to Coyote were their privates. He thought, "Now, indeed, these have white ones (privates). My child does not lust for them. (3) But the one over there, Cricket, hers (her privates) are black, And she is one my son lusts for. And Turtle Dove is also no good, hers (her privates) are (also) black." (4) That was how Coyote was considering them. Again Coyote would go for fire wood, he would bring it back, burn it, and the women would be the same way again (they would dodge sparks, showing their privates). (5) In the meantime his son was out hunting, shooting and killing many deer. 14. Coyote thought, " I shall do a tricky thing now." Away Coyote went. There was a rock cliff, he determined to do it there 1

2 Monotone chant. You will disintegrate, as a result. The adopted son of Coyote is Eagle. * Other versions; Eyley Jr., myth 2, p. 103; Jim Yoke, myht 7, p. 191.

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at a ledge on the cliff, at that place he defecated two feces, and at that place they became two young eagles. (2) Coyote returned home. He said to his son, "Oh dear, my child! I have found two young ones of an eagle. Let us go out early tomorrow and raise them for their feathers for arrows. (3) They are pretty big already. With their feathers we shall make arrows." The son replied, "Very well." 15. Next morning they went away. They reached it (the base of the cliff). The man saw them (above). "Oh, they indeed are the young ones of an eagle." (2) Coyote said to him, "Now you climb up! Strip off all you have on, your trousers, shirt, moccasins, all. Instead of them put on my shirt, trousers and moccasins, and climb up like that, for the eagles are bad. (3) They might spoil your trousers and shirt." That is what the (young) man did. He stripped off all his own clothes and changed (into Coyote's), he put on Coyote's shirt, trousers and moccasins, all that Coyote had. (4) Then the (young) man climbed up. He (Coyote) said to him, "Never look back down below, until you have reached the place where the young ones of the eagle are." The (young) man climbed aloft. (5) "Oh, I wonder when I shall reach the place. I have gone far up already from there (from the bottom)." He looked down at Coyote. Coyote was winking there, Coyote was saying, "Become higher, become higher, cliff J" 1 16. At last the (young) man reached the place. There were no eagles, there were only two feces lying there, there were no eagles at all. He looked beneath, where Coyote was quite unconcerned. (2) "He is putting on everything, my shirt, my trousers, my moccasins." Angrily he looked down below, but there was no way to descend. 17. With all (Eagle's clothes) Coyote returned home. He arrived at where the wives of his son were. Coyote already had in mind what to do. " I shall have the white Mice as my wives. (2) While Cricket here, who is black, and Turtle Dove there, away with them. I shall have these white Mice." He said to them, "Here I am! I have come back home.2 While Coyote has climbed aloft, I have returned home." (3) He cohabited with the Mice, while the two whom he (his son) had closest to heart he (Coyote) ignored. "Now those (two)," (said) Coyote, "The devil with them, for a while, while I have these Mice." (4) The five of them became his wives.3 Coyote is exerting magic to make the cliff straight and higher. - Coyote is impersonating his son Eagle. 3 With whom he cohabited, ignoring Cricket and Turtle Dove. 1

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Never did Coyote reveal to his daughters-in-law that he was indeed Coyote. 18. "Ready now, let us move away!" They moved away from there. He would go out hunting, but oh, nothing at all did he shoot and kill except tiny things. (2) These little things he would bring back. He would tell them (his Mice wives) to share such things with the two women, and mere common things were given to them. (3) While on the other hand the Mice would eat fine meat! And so there lay Coyote on his back among his women! 19. Yonder remained the (young) man (Eagle). The (young) man wept. Spider himself came along there and as he came along he heard him. "What may be making that noise?" (2) He saw him. "Oh, the poor fellow!" He (Spider) said to him, " I shall get you down, if later you make vine rope for me and (thus) repay me." The (young) man replied, "Very well." (3) He (Spider) took the rope and said to him, "Tie this (rope) about yourself." (4) The man replied, "No, it might break and I might fall." He said to him, "No, it will never break on you." (5) Five times (the young man refused) before he convinced him. Then (the young man said), "Very well." He (Spider) tied him under the arms, he let him down below to the ground. (6) He (Spider) said to him, "How are you?" He replied to him, "Yes, all right!" "Are you on the ground now?" "Yes!" He untied himself. Spider (said), "How about that rope of mine?" (7) The man made bark vine rope for him. He (Spider) said to him, "Your wives are no longer at the house. Instead they have moved far, far away. Coyote has taken away your wives." 20. The man returned home, he reached the place. Apparently they had moved away a long time, before. "Too bad! Coyote has taken all my wives." He followed them, he went far far away. (2) Apparently they had been camping here over night. Again he went on, for three (nights). (At the fourth camp) the fire place was still warm. (3) He went on again, he saw a place where they had apparently been camping only a very short time before and had then gone on. (4) He followed them and came close to catching up with the two women, the ones whom he held dearly to heart. He overtook those two. 21. Turtle Dove wept as she went along in the rear, "m-'m-'m-'." Turtle Dove had her child on the cradle board on her back. As she went along the child looked behind, it saw the (young) man. (2) "Papa papa papa" (it cried). "Hush," said the woman, "Hush, be still, do not (speak) like that!" But again (it cried), "Papa papa." (3) The (young) man went forward, the (woman's) pack rope

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was dragging along behind, he stepped on it. The woman looked, there was nothing at all. (4) Once again he went on and stepped on her pack rope. Then she saw him. "My husband has overtaken me." There she told her sister, "Now our husband has reached us." Cricket saw him. "Ourhusbandhas reached us, he has overtaken us." 22. They told him all about it. "Oh dear, Coyote has been taking us along in a wretched fashion, Coyote has been treating us miserably. He has not been sharing anything with us, even when he has been shooting and killing (game). (2) He cherishes the other wives, but he shares nothing at all with us. That is the way Coyote has been treating us." That is what they told the man. The man said, "Now pack me along." (3) They rolled him up in their woven mat bundle, and they packed him and carried him as they went along to whatever place Coyote halted to camp for the night. When they reached (the camping spot) they remained away at a distance (as usual). 23. On the way Coyote had been shooting and killing some poor little game for meat. The women shared it with the two wives whom Coyote did not desire. One woman would run off and take it to them (saying), "Here is your (food)!" 24. They opened the pack in which their husband was. Then he said to him (to Coyote), "Oh, newly-wed, how much have you shot and killed?" Suddenly Coyote saw him. (2) "Oh dear me, my son, so you have come! I have been moving about here and there. Here are your shirt, trousers, moccasins!" Coyote returned them to him. The (Mice) wives were indeed ashamed of themselves. (3) He (Eagle) said, "All right!" The man took all his clothes and put them on. He said to him (to Coyote), "Oh, brother, I shall go myself now and hunt." — "Very well." Coyote became just Coyote again, exactly as he had been just Coyote himself before. 25. The man went to hunt, he shot bigger and better deer (than Coyote had). He told him (Coyote), "You go yourself and pack it back." Then, "Very well, my son, I shall go fetch it." (2) The two of them went. He said to him (to Coyote), "It is raining now, we must hurry back. Soon there will be a lot of water." They went and the man (Coyote) carried the meat. (3) He gave him (Coyote) a pack rope which was not at all strong, it was just something merely of deer intestines. But Coyote carried it along. 26. There was a creek high with water. This first creek was shallow enough to wade across. The man wished there to be five creeks. The first one which was not so deep Coyote forded by wading. (2) Then deeper the water became in the creeks he waded across until the third. (They came to) the fourth (and crossed). (3) At the fifth there was a very great volume of water flowing. 7

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Coyote floated away downstream. He went out of sight. He floated on, Coyote floated and floated on down, far away. 27. "Oh dear, now I shall make a canoe." He made a canoe of pine bark, and with it floated on until he was tired out. "How can I keep on % there is nothing else I can use to go on with." (2) Coyote knew that at this particular place were a girl and her grandmother. " I shall float on and make believe I am a baby." He floated along. (3) "Oh, that is not so very good for me, (I shall) not (do it) that way. I shall make believe I am a dead deer floating in the water." As a large (dead) deer he floated on. (4) He caught onto something in the water at the place where the girl and her grandmother lived, that was where Coyote got stuck in the water. 28. The girl came down to the water, she saw a dead deer caught on something in the water. The girl saw him. "Go tell your grandmother, 'I have found a dead deer floating in the water. Let us go skin it.' (2) Go tell your grandmother quickly in just that manner. After that your grandmother will straddle me and ride right on me. That is what you must tell your grandmother." (3) The girl went back home with water, and she said to her grandmother, " I saw a dead deer floating and stuck upon something in the water by the shore. This is what it said to me. 'Your grandmother is to come and skin me, straddle me, and ride right on me.'" (4) "Aha," (said) the old woman. "Aha, it must be Coyote. I will club him on the head." 29. The old woman took a club, 1 she held the club hidden. She went with the girl towards him, they went down to the water. Coyote saw, "Oh, the old woman is hiding a club, the old woman will be clubbing me." — (2) "Aha," 2 said the old woman. "Aha, so I have found a dead deer in the water." Coyote saw her. "Oh, she has a club, now she will be clubbing me." (3) He gave himself a push into open water. The old woman said, "Oh, oh, the dead deer is floating away, and I might have straddled him too." (4) Coyote floated away. "The old woman might have gone and clubbed me." He was afraid (of that). He floated on, he floated far away downstream. 30. He learned that at this particular place were five unmarried girls. They were Wild Ducks, 3 these five unmarried girls. Coyote thought about it. "What shall I become % I shall be an old man." (2) He went on and reached shore. He said, "Oh, my people!" They 1 2 3

Mrs. Hunt interrupted, to remark that it was a ka'pen, a "root digger". Surprise. The translation of wi'DwiD is in doubt: it has been interpreted variously as snipe, swallow and wild duck.

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feared Coyote. ' This is the very place where I used to be long ago, where we had your father, and here (is) where we had a place at which to tie the dog." (3) There he looked for it, and right here it was. Then they thought of him, "Why indeed he must be of our own older generation, one of our own old men." But the youngest recognized him. " H e is, on the contrary, a dangerous being," (said) the youngest. 31. Mornings they would go to dig white camas roots, the old man (Coyote) would remain home. He would go to the water, which was a lake belonging to the unmarried girls. (2) In it there were a great number of all kinds of salmon. They would return home, go down to their water, get a Chinook salmon, bring it ashore, roast it on a stick, and eat it. (3) They would all do it with Coyote also there now. Coyote devised all sorts of plans, but he could not decide how to go about it. 32. When the unmarried girls were away root digging, Coyote would go down to the water, he would see all the many fish in it, and he would say, "Oh, this is not the way the land is (to be) at all. (2) There are many very fine places, it is not (to be) like this." That is what he would say to the fish. Thereupon the fish would become restless when they heard Coyote, restless they became. (3) The unmarried girls would come back, they would go to the water and get a fish to eat. And they would notice, "They are not still. Why are the fish moving about ?" (4) The unmarried girls became fearsome. "Indeed he might be a dangerous being." But they did not know him to be Coyote, and Coyote he was indeed. During their absence he (Coyote) had harangued them (the fish). 33. And he had made digging tools for the unmarried girls, root diggers that were merely of elderberry wood, 1 but he had made strong root diggers of oak wood for himself, he had finished making them. (2) "Now I shall dig a trench out towards the river." The unmarried girls took along the root diggers of elderberry wood to do root digging. (3) Coyote took five bone spoons and five root diggers.2 He went down to the water. Already he had seen "Where I shall do it in that manner." (4) Coyote went to there, and he dug in the ground. "Now the fish will come out." He dug towards the river. 34. One of the unmarried girls broke her root digger. 3 She (the youngest) said to them, "Ah, your (man) is in reality your grand1 2 3

It is a weak wood for purposes of root digging. Strong root diggers, of oak. An ill omen. 7*

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father. 1 Let us hurry back home." (2) They (five) started to run back towards the house. As they went they saw Coyote digging close to the lake. They took root diggers and ran towards Coyote. (3) They hit him, breaking one head cover (on his head),2 (also) breaking the root digger. Another (girl) hit him and broke another (spoon and digger). (4) Another (girl) ran up to him and hit him with another root digger. She split the (spoon) head cover, and also broke the root digger. Again another (girl) ran up to him. (5) He had dug nearly all the way through. There was only one more (bone hat) while he was still digging in and turning up the soil, he had only one more head cover. (6) He seized the last root digger. The youngest unmarried girl came down to him at the water and hit him, but at that moment he completed it and opened it all through. 35. Then " ' it £t £t £t • " Coyote (said). The fish went downstream towards the river. There at that same place was Coyote (saying), £L £t 8b 'a'. Indeed these people had a grandfather with their fish, and it was Coyote." 3 (2) Then he said, "Big ones, it is very fine country indeed, in the direction of the ocean." The big fish went in that direction. (3) Then he said, "Oh, dear me! I did not speak correctly. I t is fine country in the direction up river." At that the little fish broke away from the others and went on upstream, while all the big ones continued downstream. (4) The unmarried girls felt very badly about it. "Oh, dear, that good for nothing rascal Coyote!" 36. Coyote went on, and the fish went on !3 There Coyote walked along the river bank! 3 He felt hungry. He went to the water's edge (and cried out), "Oh, come out of the water! thing I have made!" (2) Then a Chinook salmon came ashore xa'ppppp, 4 but he was unable to seize it, it went back again into the water. With still no food Coyote again went on. He became tired and hungry. Again he cried out (to the salmon), but he could not seize it. 37. He defecated his two sisters. "Tell me the situation!" His two sisters told him, "You always retort at once, 'Oh, I knew that already!' Go figure it out for yourself!" 5 (2) "You have been standing there on the rocks. You should stand on the dirt or beach, 1

Implying, Grandfather Coyote. Coyote is using a bone or horn spoon, each time, as a shield. In Coyote's comic monotone chant. 4 Sound of salmon flapping out of the water on to the beach. 6 This is the frequent episode in which Coyote threatens to summon rain and disintegrate his feces sisters, Pine Nut and Huckleberry, if they continue to refuse to tell him what to do. Mr. Hunt makes one of his usual short cuts at this point, and proceeds with the main narrative. 2

3

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call out, and then a fish will come out of the water. You will be holding a club, you will hit it on the head." (3) That is what they told him. Coyote replied, "Oh, I have known that for a long long time already. Come inside me again, my two younger sisters!" His two sisters went in at his anus. 38. He went away, took a club, went down to the beach by the water, and called out, "I am hungry! Make yourself come out of the water! thing I have made!" (2) A Chinook salmon came out of the water, there Coyote clubbed it on the head. "Well, now I shall eat." He went, cut it up, built a fire, and roasted it. After that he began to feel as if he wanted to sleep. "I shall sleep a little while." 39. Wolves were coming along nearby, they saw him. "Coyote is sleeping, and he has salmon roasting there. Let us eat his salmon." They went to him, they ate all of his. (2) The youngest (wolf) smeared his mouth (with salmon), and he was made to hold a little piece of salmon (in his hand). When they left Coyote, he awoke. "Oh,1 I must have been asleep, and I am still hungry." He went on. "Oh dear, oh dear, I am hungry!" (3) At that place he again called out, again he roasted (salmon). The wolves followed him to that place, again they ate his, they left him in the very same manner. They treated Coyote like that five times. 40. Coyote became tired of it. There he defecated his two sisters. "Tell me the solution now! When I have been roasting (salmon), why do I never get to eat it ? Why do I awaken hungry and, so it seems, without ever having eaten ? Tell me!" (2) They explained to him. "It is the wolves who have been eating yours, you have never eaten it at all. The wolves have been eating yours." "Oh, that is exactly what I was thinking!"—(3) "That is what the wolves have been doing. You yourself should do the very same thing to them. (4) They have been obtaining eggs from ducks, and you yourself should treat them the same way. When you see where they have a fire some place, and they are roasting eggs there, you should never go to sleep. (5) When you roast salmon, you should remain awake, you should not go to sleep. Then you may eat." Coyote replied, "Very well, that is what I shall do." 41. Indeed that is just what he did. He ate, he did not fall asleep. Coyote cooked his salmon roast, remained awake, and ate his fill. He went on, and saw a fire burning in the meadow. (2) "The wolves are cooking eggs now." Coyote went there, and saw they were roasting duck eggs. (3) Coyote caused them to fall asleep, the wolves went to sleep, Coyote went to them, pulled out the egg roast, and ate all the eggs. (4) He made the little youngest wolf hold the 1

A yawn.

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last egg. Then he threw aside and left the egg shells there, like that, for them. (5) When Coyote went away, the wolves awoke, still hungry. They said, "We have not eaten." The little youngest one said, " I myself must have been eating, I am holding the last one now, so I suppose I have been eating." (6) That is what he said. Again they sought eggs. No longer did Coyote hunger, Coyote was eating his salmon now. And he constantly watched the wolves. Whenever they roasted eggs, Coyote would go to there, and then he would eat their eggs. 42. When this had happened five times they found out. "That is what he did." So they learned. Then they too watched, no more did they go to sleep when they roasted eggs, they did not sleep, they stayed awake and ate. No longer now did Coyote eat their eggs. 43. Then Coyote went on, while fish went along in the river, many of them. There chief Coyote, whenever he hungered, would go down to the beach at the edge of the water, club in hand. (2) He would cry out, "Get yourself out of the water! thing I have made! I am hungry now." 1 Then a Chinook salmon would come ashore,1 Coyote would club it on the head, roast it, and eat it. He would eat till he was full. Again Coyote would walk on leisurely eating salmon.1 44. He thought, "There shall be cascades at this place here." 2 And so he made cascades. "Right here Chinook salmon will come. For the people who are coming are near. (2) This is the way they will catch Chinook salmon. They will make dip nets, they will dip up Chinook salmon. This is the way they will dry Chinook salmon in the sun." 45. Coyote went on from that place again, coming this way. "Right here will be a small river, at this place they (the fish) will enter. They will call it White Salmon River. (2) White salmon will spawn in it, salmon eggs will be spilled here. Those (salmon eggs) will grow, and they will go back towards the ocean. There they will grow, again they will come up this way and enter the river here. That is how it will be." 46. That is how while going along he made little streams flowing out. He made different kinds of salmon as he went along, all kinds. He went on. "Here will be different salmon fishing places, and people will speak different languages. (2) The people at that place will catch salmon, they will exchange different kinds of food. They will trade things for salmon. From that (exchange) the people of the dry prairies will eat all sorts of things. (3) In that way there 1 2

In Coyote's monotone chant. At Celilo, east of the Dalles on the Columbia River.

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will be a good exchange and sharing of salmon at that place. Gladly and generously (they will do) this. The people who are coming are near now. (4) Just as far as the river goes the fish will go. When it becomes warm in spring time, the salmon will come up river as far as the river goes. Different kinds of salmon will be in the river. That is how it will be, according to my law."

32. C o y o t e is d u p e d by a n d d u p e s W o l v e s (second version). 1 1. Coyote brought the salmon, at the time when he dug them a way through from the unmarried girls. 2. When the salmon went out from there, Coyote went down to the riverside, and he called out, "Ah! there are great rivers out towards the west!" The large ones (salmon) went on in that direction. (2) But right then it occurred to him, "Dear oh dear! I used the wrong word. Come to think of it, it is fine country up above (stream)." (3) They became cut and blocked off, now there were only small fish left, so they (alone) came on upstream, while all the large ones went on oceanwards, just the small ones came on (upstream). Then Coyote said, "I will be going along now." 3. He came on in this direction. He noticed there were no fish at all anywhere in this river. Coyote walked along upstream. But on his way he noticed salmon were going, they were taking leaps as they went on in the river. Now he was very pleased as he went along. 4. And then he became hungry. "I am hungry now." He went down upon the rocks at the riverside, and he hallooed, "Get yourself out of the water! thing I have made!" (2) He saw, a salmon was coming ashore to him now. The salmon rolled right by him, but Coyote was not able to catch it. Right away it went back down into the river. (3) That was how Coyote was. Again he went on, and then (he became) tired out (and) hungry. Once again he went down to the waterside, and he shouted, "Get yourself out of the water on to shore! thing I have made!" (4) Whereupon he saw a salmon coming ashore, but he was unable to grasp it, it went right back into the water, and he did not get it. So he went on, that was what he did five times, and then Coyote was (indeed) tired out (and) hungry. 1

Told August 1926; interpreter, Peter McGuff. This episode is found in its proper setting in the long myth preceding this. So fragmentary a recital exemplifies the distrust and lack of seriousness that made Hunt provide poorer narratives in the first visit of 1926 than he provided in subsequent years. Note versions in myth two of Eyley Jr. (p. 103) and myth seven of Jim Yoke (p. 191).

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5. So he defecated, and he said to his two sisters, he said, ' Ready! tell me about the situation!" They explained to him, (2) ' You are never (merely) to stand on the rocks. You are to go down to the waterside, you are to take a club, when a Chinook salmon comes ashore, (and) rolls about on the sand (then strike it), but not on the rocks." (3) That is what he did then. He shouted club in hand. He saw the Chinook salmon coming ashore. When it rolled there on the sand, it had no way to escape, there Coyote clubbed and killed it, and it was his. "Now I can eat." He cut and dressed it. and he roasted it on a stake. 6. The Wolves themselves came along there on their way, five of them were coming. They saw him, "Coyote is asleep now." The Wolves had made sleep (magically) for Coyote. (2) While Coyote slept, they approached him. they ate all of his roast, they ate up his salmon. The smallest (and) youngest of them smeared his nose with salmon, and made him hold a little of it in his hand. They left him there. 7. When Coyote awoke, he saw, " I have no more roast now, but I am still hungry," He said, " I certainly have not been eating anywhere. But even if I am still hungry, I am holding a little piece of it yet, and there is only salmon on my nose, so perhaps I did eat." Then he went away. 8. It was not far before he was hungry. He took a club, he went down to the waterside, and he called out, "Get yourself from the water to the shore! thing I have made!" (2) He saw a Chinook salmon coming ashore, he clubbed it, he killed it there. At that place he made a fire, he roasted it. He became sleepy. "I'll take a nap." 9. When he went to sleep, the Wolves were coming along near, they had followed. They saw Coyote was sleeping. They went to him, they ate up his (food), and they left. 10. When he awoke, "But I am still hungry. I must have gone to sleep unwittingly, and I must not have eaten really, because I am still hungry. But I do have just salmon on my nose (and) mouth." 11. Coyote went on, Coyote walked along again. There he defecated his two sisters. They said to him, "Whenever you have been asleep, the Wolves have reached you at that place, they have eaten your (food). (2) When you awoke, the roast was gone, they just left you there. They are going here where there is a prairie, at this place they look for eggs, they get them, they roast them on hot rocks. (3) Now you yourself should do it in the very same manner (to them)." He replied, "Yes indeed!" "When you roast salmon,

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do not ever go to sleep. Then you may eat." That is how the two sisters spoke to him. "Very well then!" 12. Accordingly Coyote went on, he shouted to the salmon, "Get yourself ashore! thing I have made!" When it came ashore, he clubbed it to death, he roasted it well. (2) Not again did Coyote go to sleep. When the salmon roast was done, he ate till he had had enough. "Well now I'll do the very same thing myself to the wolves." He went on. 13. He saw where they were yonder, he approached them unseen, he came close to them. They were roasting eggs. At that place Coyote lay in wait for them, he himself now made sleep (magically) for them, in the very same manner in which they had done it to him, so in that very same manner he himself (did to them). (2) The wolves fell asleep. Then Coyote went to that place, he uncovered the underground egg roast, he ate all the eggs. (3) He made the youngest one of them hold a single egg in his hand, he spilled and scattered about all their egg shells, he left them like that. 14. When the Wolves awoke, (there was) no underground roasted food at all. The very youngest one of them was holding a single (egg). They went away, they were now unable (to trick) Coyote. (2) (Remaining) awake all the time, he continued to eat salmon, no longer did he fall asleep. And Coyote kept on eating the eggs of the Wolves. 15. I do not know how long a time he did so, before they discovered, " I t must be Coyote who has been doing it to us and eating our (food)." That is how they found out. (2) They constantly lay in wait for him. But Coyote never went again, Coyote quit eating their (food). That is how Coyote was fond of the eggs, the food of the Wolves. 33. C o y o t e d e f e a t s W o o d R a t . 1 1. There was Coyote. There was a female child of Coyote. Coyote said, "Let all of us people assemble. You will play." He made a plaything. All the different kinds of people gathered. Two would go (play). (2) Coyote also had two children, one female, one male. Though according to appearances both were males, seemingly one was indeed female, one male. (3) Two arrived, they played. He suggested playing the ring bone game. Coyote's son would win. He would kill them all (as penalty for losing), they were all killed. 1

Told August 1926; interpreter, Peter McGuff. The dictation is unusuallypoor and the translation inadequate.

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2. Then he whose name was wood r a t came, and his two sons (with him). They came, they arrived there a t Coyote's. Coyote was a headman (of high class). H e (wood rat) was not one, he would win unfairly, he would steal. (2) He said, " W e have come. Let us play." Coyote's two children said, "Very well." They played, and the sons of wood r a t won, they won. They carried away the daughter of Coyote. 3. Coyote said, " I also will go to t h e very same place." He followed his child. They (wood r a t and family) went away, wood r a t carried away the woman. He (Coyote) came t o where there was a river, he reached t h a t place, a canoe was there, t h e y (Coyote and his people) boarded it. (2) They went on by canoe. Down they went through the rapids, they went through them, t h e canoe under water. The canoe emerged from below t h e surface. (3) Coyote did not "die." They went on again, again they came t o rapids, again they went down through them, and Coyote did not "die." (They were) all alive (yet). 4. Coyote had a huge pipe. When they went through rapids, Coyote's sons and all would enclose themselves within the pipe. When they emerged from the water, all of them came out of t h e pipe. (2) They rode on unscathed in the canoe. They came to another rapids, again in the same manner they went down through the rapids. I n the same manner they enclosed themselves in the pipe of Coyote. (3) The canoe (was) under water. When they emerged from the water, t h e y brought themselves out of the pipe unharmed. 5. Wood R a t was fearful of them. He was a son-in-law of Coyote. Wood R a t said, "Apparently Coyote is a dangerous being. They have passed through five rapids, t h e y have not died, Coyote (is) u n h u r t . " (2) They reached a house, at the place where the house of wood r a t was, in the rock, the rock was in t h e water. They reached t h a t place, t h e y entered the house. (3) There was no fire wood to burn, there were only bones of people, those bones were for fuel, and there was no wood. (4) Old man Wood R a t burned those bones of people. The house was dark. They wanted to kill both Coyote and his sons b u t Coyote was a dangerous being also. I t was dark, the bones of people were burning. 6. Coyote was not a t all fooled. Though dark, Coyote took the pipe, there they all enclosed themselves in the pipe. When all would be burning brightly, still unharmed would be the sons and daughters of Coyote. They (would) not (be) dead. 7. There was only one more to kill of theirs. Old man wood rat told Coyote, " I am becoming hungry. Tell them to let them go

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spearing. There are always salmon at the rapids, there they may be speared." (2) Apparently his (wood rat's) child had become a Chinook salmon, that was what was fooling the people. That (salmon) is what they ate. (3) That is what they did to the people. This is what he told Coyote. "Tell your child. He will do it with salmon (get salmon) for me." (4) Coyote said to his son, "Spear i t ! " He said, " H e has a spear made of Coyote's bone,1 he made that spear for spearing." He (the son of Coyote) went down to the stream, to the canoe, he rode in it, he came to the cascades. (5) Right next to the falls he saw, "There is a Chinook salmon!" I t was evidently the child of wood rat. The son of Coyote speared the Chinook salmon, he clubbed it to death. (6) He saw, " I t is evidently the one who has a brother-in-law." He speared it at that place, but it was no Chinook salmon at all. Old man wood rat became angry. He took the Chinook salmon away, the old man threw it into the water. Old man Wood Rat was angry. 8. Coyote said to his son, "Hurry! Let us return home." With Coyote's canoe paddle (they went). He said, " L e t us hurry and go!" They went past one fall, they rested from paddling. (2) The dangerous being Wood Rat pursued. He followed them to another rapid, they ceased paddling. He did not catch them. On to another rapid, they stopped to rest. (3) He did not catch them. They went on to another rapid, they struggled through it. Wood Rat did not catch them. Coyote went on to one more rapid, they got up to the falls. (4) He did not catch them. Coyote went on to another rapid. Wood Rat did not catch them. They went past all five cascades, they defeated him. 9. Wood Rat said as he left there, " I will return home myself. I will not be a dangerous being." This is what Coyote said. (2) "You will be no dangerous being anywhere. Later people will reach here. The people coming are nearby now. You will no longer be devouring them, no indeed, when the people come. I t will be good, it will not be like that. (3) You will only pick up food, whenever the people move. Then you will eat whatever food is bad. Your name will be wood rat, so I name (you), I, Coyote. That is how I (ordain) in this land." (4) So Coyote spoke. So then it was that way, just as it is that way now. Wood rat is no dangerous being, he just gathers up food, wherever people have moved away. That is how Coyote ordained it for the wood rats. 1

Translation uncertain.

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34. C o y o t e k i l l s d a n g e r o u s d o g s (second v e r s i o n ) ; he and F o x l o s e a r a c e t o a girl. 1 1. Coyote said, "I am going to go where the sun comes from, that is where I will go." Coyote went forth. I do not know where (it was) in the land, at that place he encountered, as he went along, "It is a dangerous being." (2) His two informants explained to him,2 "You have come to the place of a dangerous being." They said to him, "It is a dangerous being. You will never pass it. It is a dangerous being." That is what Coyote found out. (3) He went on. They said to him, "He has two dogs. It will be no simple matter for you to reach the dangerous being." He himself had two dogs, his own younger sisters, two (dogs) they became. 2. He reached the place of the dangerous being, who saw that he had arrived. He, Coyote, was himself a dangerous being, from the place where he had come to him. He had two dogs (also). (2) He said to him, "Take good care of your dogs!" Coyote spoke too, saying, "I also have bad dogs of my own. Be well on your guard! A dog (of mine) might bite and kill you." (3) He said to him, "How is your dog named?" "Just like yours." And then, "Make your dog obey, Coyote!" "I name one dog waxmu', the other I name tili'lqa. Make them mind!" That is how Coyote spoke to the boy. He was afraid of Coyote. 3. Coyote said, "Let them play now!" The boy said to him, "I name my own dogs the very same way, one waxmu', the other tili'lqa." Coyote said, "Let both of them play now." (2) The boy said to him, "Oh no!" Coyote said, "You must not say no." Coyote did not cease (insisting). The boy feared him, but he replied, "Very well then!" Both waxmu's played, and the waxmu' of Coyote killed the waxmu' dog of the boy. 4. He said to him, "Again now, let the two tili'lqas play." The boy was afraid of him, but he said to him, "Very well!"But the boy was afraid. They played, they fought, and he killed the boy's dog. (2) The boy had no dog then. He said to him, "Nowhere will you be a dangerous being in that manner. The people coming are nearby now." 1

Told August 1926; interpreter, Peter McGuff. Another version of the dog episode appears in the twenty eighth myth (p. 69). The episode of the race with the daughter of the chief appears in a 1927 version by Hunt in Northwest Sahaptin Texts, 1, p. 232; also in the sixth myth of Eyley Jr. (p. 112) and the second of Mary Eyley (p. 169). 2 These advisers are the younger sisters of Coyote, his feces, Huckleberry and Pine Nut.

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5. Coyote left the boy there, without dogs. Coyote's dogs were not anywhere, t h e y were in Coyote's belly. I t was for t h a t t h a t Coyote had made them dogs. He could never be killed by anything. 6. Coyote went on from t h a t place, to the place from which t h e sun comes. H e went to there. Coyote made all sorts of things just while he was going along. As many dangerous things as were there, Coyote attended to them simply enough as he went along. 7. I do not know exactly where he had come to. He encountered m a n y people a t t h a t place, he reached there, t h e r e were a great many people. He looked on a t the people a t t h e place, t h e people were having a big time. (2) Coyote looked on there. The chief said to him. "How do you happen to be traveling h e r e a b o u t s ? " The chief (said this). He said, "Indeed, I am not all alone. I have my younger brother with me." His younger brother came there. 8. His younger brother said to him, "The chief has been killing a great m a n y people, he is killing all the people. H e has a daughter, a young unmarried woman, and she does it in foot racing. (2) If she wins, he chops off their heads. T h a t is how the chief does i t . " T h a t is how his younger brother Fox told him. (3) Coyote said, " B u t we might win." His younger brother said t o him, " S h e is, however, a dangerous being. You could never win." T h a t is what his younger brother said to him. "She will win." 9. T h e chief said to them, " H o w do t h e two of you feel a b o u t it ?" He (Coyote) replied, "Very well." Coyote said to his younger brother, "You first, my younger brother!" " V e r y well!" (2) His younger brother raced first with the unmarried young woman. The unmarried young woman defeated him, and t h e chief chopped off his (Fox's) head. Then he too, the older brother Coyote (said), " I suppose I must (race and die) also. (3) How could I now remain all alone ? My younger brother has died." Coyote and t h e woman raced, a n d the woman defeated Coyote. The chief said, " H u r r y u p ! Chop off Coyote's head!" Coyote said, "Oh me, oh m y ! Now I shall soon be dead. (4) I will say my farewell to this l a n d . " Coyote said, "Oh dear, oh dear, my country!" Five times. " R e a d y ? Chop off Coyote's h e a d ! " And they chopped off his head. 10. The chief said, "Throw them close to each other! Coyote is a powerful and dangerous being. P r e t t y soon Coyote will come to life again. Later, when it dawns, you will see." (2) T h a t is w h a t they did, (they threw) close by at the very same place t h e heads of the two brothers. Coyote awakened during t h e night, he joined his head back onto himself. (3) He did the same thing for his younger brother. The two brothers arose there, and t h e y went away. " W e

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came pretty near dying. Let us be going far away." That is what Coyote said. 11. "This will be the country later on, when the people will have come, this will be the land whose people are named the Sioux Indians." Coyote said, "This land will be that way according to my law. I am going on now." (2) This is what he said to his younger brother. " W e will part. Where you go will be bad mountainous land, that is where you will remain. I myself will travel about in every land, to as many as there will be peoples in the various lands. (3) That is how I, Coyote, will make the law." That is how he spoke to his younger brother. The brothers parted. There was nothing that Coyote's younger brother himself was to do. That is how Coyote ordained.

35. S k u n k p r e t e n d s d y i n g a n d w i t h C o y o t e t r i c k s a n d kills animals.1 1. There were Coyote and his brother-in-law skunk. Skunk became (pretended being) ill. Coyote said to him, " I am hungry now, so I will shout to the people." (2) Coyote went and shouted. He said to the black tailed deer, "Come here, you! My brother-in-law, the headman (skunk) is dying. Come, you! Come see him!" That is how he spoke. (3) " H e wants to see you. Then he will die." They (deer) shouted, "u-' " they said. Coyote went back to the house, and said to skunk, "They will come now." 2. They arrived, and he said to them, "My brother-in-law is nearly dead. He can hardly speak any more, nor can I hear him." Coyote went to him and said, "How are you n o w ? " (2) He spoke very slowly and replied, "i-' , " 2 He (Coyote) said to the deer, "He must go outside now." They said, "Very well." Coyote said, "You hold him by the legs, and I by the head." That is what Coyote said. "Outside with him!" — "All right!" (3) The deer went and took hold of him. They seized skunk and carried him out. Coyote was holding him by the head. They took skunk out head first. Directly then skunk ejected his musk back at them, and all the deer died. 3. Coyote remarked, " W e can eat now." Skunk was not at all ill, Skunk was quite all right. The two brothers had a great deal of meat to eat. The brothers ate a long while. That is what they did to all five of the deer. 1 2

Told August 1926; interpreter, Peter McGuff. Note a version in the first myth by Jim Yoke, p. 177. Falsetto, weakly.

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4. Then the two brothers became hungry. Coyote said to him, "Brother-in-law, you must be (simulate being) ill again." He replied, "Very well." And skunk became ill again. (2) Coyote said, "I will go shout again." He replied, "Very well." Skunk became ill. Coyote went and called out to the people. He went to the top of the mountain and called out, "u-' My brother has become sick. (3) Come, all of you! He wants to see you. My brother-in-law, the headman, is going to die!" "u-' ," they responded. Coyote went back home, and he said to skunk, "They will come. Be sick!" — "All right!" 5. The curious ones, the mountain sheep, arrived. He told them, "My brother-in-law is nearly dead, he hardly speaks any more, I myself can barely converse with him. (2) You cannot even hear a low voice from him." Coyote went to him and said, "Are you all right ?" (and to the sheep) "My brother spoke. He must go outside. You will help us take him out like that." (3) They replied, "Yes indeed!" The mountain sheep brothers took him by the legs, Coyote seized him by the head. Coyote held him by the head, and they carried him out. (4) Then skunk ejected his musk towards the house, he killed the mountain sheep. Coyote said, "We have a great deal of food again." The two brothers-in-law did have a quantity of food. 6. When they had used all the food, Coyote became hungry. He said to skunk, "Brother, become sick again! I am hungry." Skunk replied, "Very well!" Skunk became (simulated being) ill. Coyote went away. "I will go call out to them. I am going." (2) Coyote went away to a certain place there yonder, he looked out from over the rise, and called out from that place. The brothers called back to him. (3) They were five elks. They responded, "u-' ," they cried. Coyote ran and told skunk, "They will reach here soon. We will eat much larger deer, and we will eat many of them." (4) That is how Coyote spoke to his brother, skunk. Then he saw, "They are coming now." And he said to him, "Fix up properly now! Fix up right! They are coming!" 7. Coyote did exactly as before. The biggest and oldest elks came. There were five brothers. They (the elks) talked (together). "They (Coyote and skunk) are killing many of the people." (2) The largest one went to him, and stabbed at skunk with his antler. He stuck him tightly on his horn and ran away with him. (3) The house was all torn up (by the elks). Coyote (cried), "u-- -, my brotherin-law, my brother-in-law is going stuck tightly on him, u—, my brother-in-law!" 8. The elks carried him to a rock cliff, at that place they hurled him

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down below with their heads. The elks told skunk, " You are never to do that to people. Y o u have killed many of them. I t shall not be that way in future." 36. C o y o t e t o s s e s up h i s e y e s . 1 1. There was Coyote. He used to travel around in every land. Wherever Coyote went he found all sorts of things that were good; he would trade to obtain all those good things, and then they would become Coyote's. (2) H e had come from a certain place. He saw a man seated there. When it dawned he saw he was doing something very nice, he was tossing his eyes up into the air, "li-'pxuli-'pxuhi-'p." 2 H e was juggling his eyes. Coyote saw, " W h a t he is doing is very nice." 2. He approached him. ' L e t us exchange eyes! I will do the very same thing myself with your eyes." He replied, " I will not give them to you, I want them myself. I will not give them to y o u . " (2) And that bird, grouse, went on doing it with his own eyes. Coyote did not give up by an}' means. " D o let us exchange e y e s ! " (3) H e replied, " V e r y well then. I give them to you." He gave him the eyes. Coyote went away. He had told him, " W h e n it dawns, you are to go to the summit of the mountain. Then that is how you may do i t . " 3. That is how Coyote did do it when the sun rose. H e tossed up the eyes, "li-'pxuli-'phuhi'p." 2 Buzzard came that way, and saw him. "Coyote is doing something nice with his eyes." (2) Buzzard was pleased with the eyes. Buzzard lay in wait for him. Coyote went again the next sunrise, he did it in the identical fashion. (3) Buzzard followed him to that place, and saw him, " H e r e is Coyote doing it again with his eyes." Buzzard seized his eyes. Coyote (said), "li-'pxuli-'phuhi ' p . " 2 N o more eves! They were gone, he could not find them. 4. There Coyote learned, "Buzzard took my eyes." He made eyes of flowers. Coyote went on above. The eyes became wilted and dried out, he could not see. In vain did he make eyes of all sorts of different kinds of flowers. But with the last flower he made eyes. 5. H e saw a boy coming along, and said, " H o w do you happen to be traveling about here ?" He said to him, " I am hunting mountain goats." Coyote said to him. looking. "There are mountain 1

2

Told July 1926; interpreter, Peter McGuff. This short narrative is one of the episodes of the fourth myth of Eyley Jr. (p. 109) and the ninth of Jim Yoke (p. 208). Falsetto.

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goats yonder!" The boy replied, " I do not see them anywhere." (2) Coyote said to him, " I myself can see them. There are mountain goats yonder." And he (Coyote) said, "Your eyes must be bad. I have good eyes." And he (Coyote) said to him, "Let us trade eyes!" (3) The boy said, "Oh no!" He (Coyote) said to him, "Go look with my eyes." So Coyote spoke to the boy. (4) And he said to him, "Look! There are mountain goats yonder." The boy looked. "Oh! Coyote's eyes are clear." He replied to him, "Very well! I will give you my eyes." Coyote gave him the eyes made from flowers. The boy gave him his eyes. 6. Coyote told the boy, "In future times you also will be near the people who are coming now. You too will be there, there will be thickets (for you), you will not be high above, you will be down below. (2) The people will call you xwi-'l.1 The people will drive you away, and you will dash into the bushes (saying) xwi-txwH. That is how you, boy, will be xwi-'l." 1

The English word for this bird could not be learned.

8

COWLITZ AND UPPER COWLITZ MYTHS Told in upper Cowlitz by Sam N. Eyley Jr. Eyley J r . is about thirty five years of age, he speaks both t h e ta'iDnapam djalect (upper Cowlitz) and English, a n d he is married to a native girl of similar background. Both are literate and h a d rural elementary schooling. Eyley J r . knows t h e Cowlitz Salish m y t h repertoire of his mother, Mrs. Mary Eyley, and recalls fewer m y t h s of other origin. H e dictated slowly, painstakingly, clearly, a n d gave adequate translations of his own text and t h a t of t h e other Cowlitz valley informants. For linguistic purposes t h e m y t h s of this chapter m a y be considered standard ta'iDnapam dialect. For mythologic or literary uses the versions are on the whole not successful because they are fragmentary in content and fail in proper use of native m y t h narrative style. A random example of modernization by Eyley m a y be noted in a remark in one m y t h : "They winked to one another." The m y t h s are to be regarded as rather painful attempts, in a nearly pure ta'iDnapam dialect, to recount stories t h a t t h e informant h a d heard frequently b u t never before h a d told with care. Their limitations recognized, t h e stories stand clear, linguistically they are in nice shape, and therefore they deserve publication; better versions should be procured and comparison made. The recording and translation was done a t Eyley's home, Morton, Washington, in J u n e and July, 1927.

1. C o y o t e p r e t e n d s t o d o c t o r a girl. 1 1. Coyote went on. While going along he saw an old man (Wren), and he noticed unmarried girls on the opposite side (of the river). Coyote desired them very much. (2) He asked the old man, "Lend me your penis, friend." He showed him five basketfuls (containing the penis), and spoke to him in this manner, "Feed it before you go!" (3) He asked him what it ate, and he replied, odorous ants. So Coyote fed it the odorous ants before going, and then he thrust that penis across the river. 2. The unmarried young girls saw it. "What sort of thing is that ? it is an eel." Those girls caught the eel, and one of them spoke in this manner, "It hurts me." (2) The girl friends could not remove 1

Since this was t h e first text dictation attempted, b y young Eyley, he restricted himself to this fragmentary presentation of what is one of the most popular a n d frequently told of Northwest Sahaptin myths. Eyley's work is stylistically as well as in other respects inferior to t h a t of our aged informants, a n d especially so in this narrative. Another version is in Lewy Costima's text below, p. 243.

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it. Meadow lark told them, "(Do it) with sharp grass." They told one of them to go fetch the sharp grass, they brought the sharp grass, and they cut it (the penis) off. Coyote returned it to Wren. 3. Coyote went across the river. That is how he took snakes, he trimmed his hat with lizards and frogs, and went on in that manner. They saw him, they called out to him, "Are you a shaman ?" Five times. (2) Coyote stood there. "What are you saying ?" — "Are you ashaman?" — "Iamashaman." Theysaidto him, "Come here! we have a sick person, there is an unmarried girl sick yonder. Can you doctor her ?" (3) He said, "Yes! If you give me five dried salmon, and hang them up there, then I will doctor her at the sweat house. A number of you will drum for her." 4. They took it in to the sweat house for her, they drummed loudly, and he doctored. The girl cried out, "He is hurting me!" Coyote said, "Drum loudly!" They heard her. "What is she saying ? He is hurting her she says." (2) They could not go inside, so flea entered. Then Coyote came out, he ran along, he seized that dried salmon, Coyote ran along, "i-'-'i-"i-"i-"i ,/ . If it is a boy, you will name him so and so, if it is a girl, you will name her so and so." 2. C o y o t e t r i c k s E a g l e and t a k e s h i s w i v e s ; he r e l e a s e s salmon. 1 1. There were Coyote and his son, they lived there. The son had two (pairs of) wives. There were Dove and her younger sister. When the son went hunting, he would bring back the largest of horned deer. (2) But if Coyote went to hunt, he would bring back tiny deer. When the son was away hunting, the old man (Coyote) lay beside the fire. (3) If there was no fire wood, the old man went to fetch wood, he brought back a great many cedar limbs, and he built a considerable fire. 2. He said to his daughters-in-law, "Take off your garments!" That was because sparks flew from the fire. They undressed, to be sure. He said to them, "Because I never would look at you!" (2) Coyote did lay himself there, and stole glances at them, Dove and her younger sister were black (at the vulva), Mouse and her sister were white. (3) Coyote fell in love with Mouse and her sister, he did not care for Dove and her younger sister, because they had black ones, and they were the very ones whom his son preferred. 1

Note fuller versions of this most popular of Northwest Sahaptin myths: Hunt's myth 31 (p. 82), Yoke's myth 7 (p. 191). Also see Hunt, myth 32 (p. 91). 8»

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3. So then Coyote told his son, "My son! when I was going along I saw two eagles, they were beginning to fly, yonder at the mountain, high up on the cliff. (2) Such feathers are very good for arrows. You should go seek them for arrows, they have fine feathers." 4. His son Eagle went indeed, Eagle did climb up there on the cliff. When he reached the place, he found Coyote's feces there. Coyote watched him, Coyote magically wished that cliff to become smooth. (2) Eagle looked down below, but there was no way at all for him to descend, Eagle remained there unable to do anything about it. 5. Coyote went away and hunted. He had dressed in his son's clothes. When he brought back a small deer, he asked the women, "Where is the old man?" They replied, "He is not here yet." The old man remained missing. (2) He said to his wives, "Let us leave the old man, let him go! He will appear after a while. Get ready! we will move away from here." And so they prepared to move, and then they moved away. 6. Mouse herself and her sister were his wives, he now slept between them there. Far to the rear stayed Dove and her younger sister, with the baby on the cradle board on her back. (2) As they went along Dove and her younger sister cried. Coyote said to them, "Do not cry so much! never mind the old man!" (3) When they made a camp for the night on their way, Dove and her younger sister themselves remained apart. The Mice would go to share food with them, by throwing a foreleg of a young deer at them. (4) Mouse and her sister were as happy as could be all the time. When Dove and her younger sister moved, they would cover over the white camas. When Dove and her younger sister moved, they tore off a piece of their garments before they went, and they left it at their temporary camp. 7. Eagle himself was at that place, he had become hungry, there was no way he could descend. Old man Spider came to him, and said to him, "What's the matter, grandson?" (2) He said, "No, grandfather! Coyote tricked me, and I am unable to descend. Take pity on me, grandfather! let me down!" He replied to him, "All right, grandson! You will give me five pipes, and five dip nets." (3) His grandfather did indeed tie him at the waist, his grandfather did indeed let him down. He had said to him, "When you reach the ground, you will jerk (the rope) several times." So he had tied him at the waist, and had let him down. When he was down to the ground, he did pull on it several times. 8. Eagle went on, he reached the house, he did not find any of them, no, apparently they had moved away a long time before.

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So he followed them, he found, "Apparently they have been camping here, at that place is the dead fireplace, over there is a small piece of clothing." (2) He took a stick, he raked it up at the fireplace, he found white camas, and ate it. He followed them like that, to the fifth one, and then he caught up to them. 9. Dove and her younger sister themselves had been camping at a distance apart; every night that infant cried, and when that infant said, "Daddy!" they said to it, "You poor thing, talking like that! you have no father, your father died." Five times. (2) Then sure enough they saw him, Eagle had arrived there. That baby became quiet at the camp. Coyote said, "How does it happen that that baby has become quiet now?" 10. Again Mouse shared a foreleg with them, she threw the foreleg to them, they caught that foreleg, chased her, and hit her with the foreleg. Mouse went back, she said to Coyote, "They just now struck me with that foreleg." (2) Coyote arose, and said, "It is apparent that my son must have arrived." He at once took off his son's clothes, he carried the garments back to his son directly, he reached his son, and said to him, "Here are your clothes, my son! your wives are there yonder. I did not do them harm." He (Eagle) said to him, "No! you may have them for yourself." 11. Eagle went hunting, he came back, he told them, "I killed a large deer. Get ready! let us go pack it." Coyote and his wives indeed made preparations, and they went. It was a large deer indeed. They packed it on their backs. (2) Coyote and his wives were farther to the rear. It rained. They came to a creek, that creek was high with water. They waded across, they had gone to the middle of the creek there, it was too deep, they drifted away, and Coyote's wives became mice. Coyote kept floating right on down. 12. He caught on to it, he said to the Douglas fir, "Take me out of the stream, brother!" And the fir did indeed catch hold of him. Coyote held on to it, he tugged at it, it broke, and again he floated on down. (2) When he went on he said, "Your boughs will be for medicinal purposes." Then Coyote floated on down, again he was caught, and he spoke to the cedar, "Take me out of the water, brother!" (3) The cedar caught him, it pulled him out of the water. Coyote told the cedar, "You will be an important one, younger brother, with your roots, they will make root strips for baskets, with them they will make hard coiled berry baskets, and they will sell them for a great deal of money. (4) And again, you will have limbs, with which they will make large soft openwork baskets. You will have young cedar bark, with which they will make large soft twined baskets. (5) And they will make houses with your cedar bark.

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You will be valuable, my younger brother!" Thereupon Coyote put himself into the water, and floated right on down. 13. Where there was a little trail he got caught, a boy was there to fetch water. Coyote said to him, "Tell your grandmother I am a deer in the water, that she may skin me, she may ride on (copulate with) me right here. Tell her I am f a t . " (2) The boy reached his grandmother, he said to her, "Grandmother! a fat deer is stuck in the water, he says you should come and skin him, he says you should ride on him right here, and then skin him, he says he is f a t . " (3) His grandmother asked him, "Is that what he said?" He said, "That is how he spoke, grandmother!" The old woman said, " I t must be Coyote!" The old woman went to fetch her root digger, the old woman ran towards the water. (4) Coyote saw the old woman coming at a run, holding a root digger. Coyote ran away, Coyote put himself into the water again, and drifted on down. 14. Again he was caught near a small trail. He found out that there were only five unmarried girls there. He magically wished himself to be a baby inside a large coiled basket. (2) A girl went to fetch water, and found a baby inside a coiled basket stuck in the water, she took it home, she showed it to her sisters, " I found the baby stuck in the water, apparently they must have drowned up the river." They said, "Let us have him for our own younger brother." 15. The girls would go away to work, and would leave him. They would fasten food on his hand, and the girls would go away. When he saw they had gone, Coyote got out from it, Coyote ate, he went away, and found the place where they had dammed in the fish. (2) Coyote worked at it, he worked to make an opening from it there. At the time the girls would come back, Coyote would know, "They are near the house now," and immediately again he would become a baby. When they arrived, Coyote's food would be in the same condition. 16. The youngest one of them disliked the baby, she hated him, because when they held him on their laps, he constantly would put his hand right between their legs. The older ones said, "Look! look! how he's doing! cute, cute thing!" (2) That youngest one of them said, "The rascal!" That youngest one of them would not hold him under any circumstances, while those older ones slept with him at night, each one after the other, to the fifth one. 17. The root digger of one of them broke, and there was a sudden odor as of a dead person. That youngest one of them told them, "Where is your younger brother?" They all ran towards home, they reached the house, and indeed there was no sign of that younger

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brother. (2) The youngest one said to them, "Make haste!" They ran towards where those fish were, and sure enough it had been almost opened through by Coyote. They seized clubs to use on on him, they struck him on the head. Coyote said to them, "Go on and strike! it's your own heads!" 18. Coyote succeeded in opening it up, he ran on below, he called out, "Go downstream!" and all those larger fish went downstream, all those large fish went on down. (2) Then it suddenly occurred to Coyote, and he called out, "Go upstream!" Directly then those few that were left now, only the smaller ones, remained upstream. 3. R o c k and Boil. 1. There were Rock and his friend Boil, they lived there. Rock used to go fetch fire wood, Boil used to go fetch water. Rock said to him, "You go fetch wood now, yourself, and I myself will go fetch water." Boil said to him, "Very well!" 2. Rock went to fetch water. He went down below, stumbled, rolled to the river, and fell into the water. He became a rock. He who was Boil went away and came to a Douglas fir. He pried off bark, (the bark with) the inner little needles fell on him, "Pop!" and there was a little puddle of pus. 4. Coon f o o l s C o y o t e . C o y o t e d e c e i v e s a n d e a t s C o o n , f i g h t s f e c e s , is s e a l e d in r o c k , t o s s e s up h i s e y e s , r e t r i e v e s them.1 1. Coyote and his younger brother lived there, the younger brother was Coon. Coon would go away, he would be gone all day long, when he returned he would bring a quantity of food, dried fish. (2) Coyote asked him, "Where do they give this food to you, my younger brother?" He said to him, "Why no! When I go away, I gather skunk cabbages, and I use them as a pillow. When the sun rises upon them they are dried fish." (3) "Indeed so, younger brother! I will go get skunk cabbages, and use them for a pillow." So Coyote went away, he found skunk cabbages, he prepared them even better, he brought home a quantity of them. 1

Compare myth 30 (p. 76) of Mr. Hunt. The episode in which Coyote kills and eats Coon may have been confused by Eyley J r . as part of this m y t h : Hunt gave it as a separate myth (22, p. 54) in which Coyote deceives and kills Deer, not Coon. The eye juggling episode occurs as a short myth, number 36 (p. 100) by Hunt. Young Eyley's rendition is exceedingly clipped and meager in content.

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(4) Coyote used them as pillows but rather sat against them. When the rising sun shone upon them, they were the very same skunk cabbages, they had not become dried salmon at all. 2. Coon said to him, "Why no! older brother! when I go away I thrust it (my penis) into a place of ants, 1 they bite me, perhaps with great intensity, and there is a large dried fish. (2) If it is not intense, it is a small dried fish." "Well indeed! younger brother! I will go thrust it in." Coyote went away, he found the ants, he put it into it, they bit his, it hurt, it was there a short time, and it hurt frightfully. (3) Then Coyote thought, " I must have a great quantity of the dried fish now." So he drew it out. A great many of the ants had bitten him, with great difficulty did he pick off all the ants, they had bitten him till he was red and sore. (4) He went homewards feeling ill, and without any dried salmon. When Coon arrived, Coyote said to him, "They bit my thing till it was sore, but no dried fish appeared." 3. Coon said to him, "Why no! I go to the trail, and when they travel by, the travelers give it to me." Coyote replied, "All right, younger brother! I will go with you, so that they may give food to me also." (2) And so Coyote did indeed go with his younger brother to the trail. He took his pipe, and smoked. 2 Travelers, Honey Bees, journeyed by, and each one of them gave food to Coyote, and also the very same way to Coon. (3) Then Coyote stole from them. Coon noticed it. "He is doing wrong." He took his own things, he carried them homewards. They said to one another, "Pummel him!" They beat him, till Coyote was unconscious. (4)They took all the food, they took it back, and they went on again. When Coyote revived, his eyes were completely swelled up, he was quite unable to see. He went towards home, he lay down feeling sick. 4. He saw his younger brother, "Coon is fat now." He said to him, "Younger brother! At the present time dangerous beings are going about by the river. Take care of yourself. (2) They might address you thus, pi't'spam pi't'spam, they are black ones, that is how they address you, pi't'spam pi't'spam. Then they may shoot you." (3) Every day Coon gathered crabs at the river. Coyote took charcoal, blackened himself, took his bow and arrows, and went to him. He said to him, "pi't'spam pi't'spam," he shot him, he ran away. (4) When Coyote reached home, he washed himself, he took powdered white ashes, he put the powdered white ashes on 1 2

Possibly the so called odorous ants. Coyote is bluffing his power. To smoke in such a situation indicates that you have power that is dangerous.

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himself, he lay down by the fire. (5) Coon arrived noticeably suffering from pain. Coyote asked him, "What's the matter?" "No, they shot me." "What did they say to you, when they shot you?" "Yes. They said to me, pi't'spam pi't'spam." (6) "See! I told you, younger brother! come here! let me doctor you." Coyote bit at his fatty places, he did it harder, he bit them out of him. (7) "Ow! you hurt me!" "No! younger brother! I'll make you well." He broke it in him, and then Coon died. Coyote devoured him, Coyote had a great deal of food. 5. When Coyote had eaten him all, he did not know what to do, or where to go. He went away, he went here and there, but he could not get to any place. Then he said, " I wish I could have a fight with Feces Person." (2) Immediately they hit him with faeces, the Feces Persons hit and hit and hit and hit him, until Coyote was unconscious. When Coyote revived, he reeked all over, he went to the river, he washed himself. 6. Then he said, " I wish I had a house of stone that was absolutely tight, so that they would be quite unable to enter to me." Lo there was a rock house sealed tight, they could not enter it in any way, nor could he get out by any way. (2) After he had remained there a long time, he became hungry, but there was not a thing he was able to eat. So he pulled out his own eyes, he swallowed them. (3) He became thin from hunger, (when) he turned over, 'ya'u'w (his bones creaked). "Ah, they are bringing home wood!" There was not a thing he could eat. So he tore out his testicles, and swallowed them. 7. He heard a person pecking and hammering, he called out, "Younger brother! come here!" Sapsucker came to him. He said to him, "Go tell brown woodpecker, bluejay, and red headed woodpecker to break it open for me!" (2) Sapsucker went away, and brought back the bluejays, brown woodpeckers, and red headed woodpeckers. They all broke it open, and they carried him out. He presented them all with the finest of clothes, and all those men went away very pleased. 8. Coyote was blind now. He heard a xwa'l (xwi'l) Bird boy, he called to the boy, "Come here!" In his hands he held flowers (which he put in his eye sockets). The boy came to him. He said to the boy, "What are you holding?" "A bow," he said to him. (2) He said to the boy, "Why don't you shoot that pheasant yonder ?" The boy looked and looked for it. Coyote asked him, "Do you see it y e t ? " "No." Then Coyote said to him, "Your eyes are bad. Let us exchange eyes." (3) The boy replied, "All right." Coyote said to him, "Take yours out! and I will take out mine." The boy took

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out his own eyes, and. he obtained the eyes of Coyote, the boy fitted them on, and he did see to a distance now. (4) The boy dashed away. Coyote went on, with eyes. The boy himself ran here and there, he could see to a distance, but those eyes of his wilted and dried, because those eyes were flowers, he could not see any more, the boy became blind. 9. Coyote went on, he had two eyes now. Coyote was delighted about it, he would extract one of them, he would throw it up into the air, he would cry out, "It is mine! hurrah!" and then he would possess eyes again. (2) Birds were traveling by, they noticed him, they watched him throw them up in the air, they caught his (eyes). Coyote cried out, "It is mine! hurrah!" No eyes any more. Again he cried out, "It is mine! hurrah!" Not a sign of the eyes. Five times. 10. He went on, he reached an old woman, she was one-eyed. He asked her, "Where are they (the people) ?" She said to him, "No. They are having a big time with Coyote's eyes." (2) Coyote inquired, "When will they come back here?" "Yes. They will come when the sun is low down." That old woman was grinding fern roots. (3) Coyote clubbed her to death, he dressed in the garments of the old woman, and then he himself ground those fern roots. When those women arrived, they recounted to the old woman (Coyote), "Everybody is having a great time with those eyes of Coyote, they are passing them around the circle. (4) "Take me along tomorrow!" The youngest one of them observed him, "Why she is not my grandmother at all!" But the others paid her no attention whatever. (5) When they ate, they said to her (to Coyote), "Why did you not grind this fine, grandmother ?"—"Oh no. I fell asleep, and when I awakened, I did it hurriedly." 11. Next day they went, they took their grandmother with them. The old woman said, "Carry me on your backs when you go along." The oldest one carried her on her back. She (Coyote) said to her, "A little lower down, granddaughter!" (2) Then she (Coyote) said to her, "That's the right place right there!'' She said to her (Coyote), "You hurt me, you are sticking it in me." She (Coyote) said, "Why no! I could not stick anything into you, I do not have anything to stick into you." (3) That is what she (Coyote) did to all of them. Now the youngest of them carried her. She said to her, "A little lower, granddaughter!" But she would not put her lower down. She (Coyote) said to her, "It hurts, granddaughter, a little lower down!" (4) She ran with her close to there where the gathering was, and she threw her down. She (Coyote) said, "Ouch ouch! it hurts!" Those older ones helped her arise, and they took her there to the fun place.

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12. She herself (Coyote) sat there at the very same place. They passed those eyes of Coyote round the circle, and when they came to the old woman's place, the old woman took them, she herself threw them up into the air. (2) The old woman said, "It's mine! hurrah!" Blue Jay said to them, "What is she saying?" "The old woman says this, 'It is mine! hurrah!'" Those women said to him, "She does not say it like that, (She says) 'I wish it were mine! hurrah!'" Five times. (3) Then the old woman threw it high up, and cried out loudly, " I t is mine! hurrah!" Both eyes fell down, and they were his again. He took off the clothes of the old woman, and ran away.

5. C o y o t e k i l l s t h e D r u m s t i c k

cannibal.

1. Drumstick was an old man, all day long he beat the stick drum. Travelers passing by heard it, " A h ! drumming can be heard there! they must be playing the hand game." (2) They would go towards it, they would arrive there, they would see him, entirely alone, drumming with two drumsticks in one hand, and two in the other. (3) They would go inside to him, they would say to him, "Are you really quite alone, old man ? I thought there was a hand game." (4) Old man Drumstick would suddenly become still, and then he would make a quick and unexpected leap at them, club them on the head with the drumsticks, and after that he would eat them. He was a person who ate people, this old man Drumstick, and he was blind. 2. Coyote was traveling by there himself. Accidentally he stepped on the leg of Meadow Lark, Meadow Lark screamed,"Ouch ouch ouch! you broke my leg, you stepped on my leg, and I will not tell you anything about it, the dangerous being will kill you before long, and he will devour you." (2) Coyote said to her, "No, father's sister! I will make you a brace for your leg, so then you will tell me about it." Coyote made a brace for her leg, and then Meadow Lark had legs again. 3. Meadow Lark said to Coyote, "You will go on in this direction, you will hear Drumstick making a noise, you will go in that direction. (2) Drumstick is an old man, he is exterminating the people, he is eating them. You will go to there, when you reach him, you will tell him, 'Why, are you really all by yourself, old man ? I thought they were having a hand game.' (3) You will go quickly to the rear of him, and when he prepares to strike at you, you will snatch those drumsticks from him, you will strike him on the head, and that

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drumstick will club him to death." He replied, "Very well, my aunt!" Coyote went away. 4. He did hear stick drumming, he went in that direction, he reached old man Drumstick, he went inside to him. He said to him, "Why, are you really all alone, old man? I thought they were having a hand game." (2) He went quickly to the rear of the old man. The old man was listening quietly, he prepared to strike at him, Coyote seized those drumsticks, he struck him with his own drumstick, his own drumstick clubbed the old man to death, his own drumstick smashed the old man to bits. 5. Coyote said to him, "Where indeed are you to be the dangerous Drumstick being ? to be eating persons ? Different people are coming quite near now, and are you to be an old man, eater of persons ? but it may very well be that in a hand game, boys will have a scuffle, and will strike at and injure one another with drumsticks." 6. I n r a c e s C o y o t e l o s e s , F o x wins. 1 1. When Coyote was traveling along, Fox encountered him, and he asked him, "May I go with you, my older brother?" He said, "No! I am journeying a great distance away." (2) Fox said to him, "But I will follow after you at just a short distance." Coyote said to him, "Very well, my younger brother!" So they went away. 2. They came to where there were a great number of persons, Coyote took his pipe, he smoked, and the people said to one another, "Inquire of them, 'Why are they here, where are they from?'" (2) One of them went to them, and asked them, Coyote (inparticular), "From what people are you? for what purpose are you here?" (3) "My younger brother and I are not looking for any special thing, we're just looking around. It's a pretty rough people, who kill by decapitation, that's where we're from!" (4) That person went back, he said to his people, "Yes! They have come from where the people are rather rough fellows, and kill by decapitation." They said to one another, "All right, let them (try to) decapitate us!" 3. They went to Coyote, they said to him, "Very well then, let us have a foot race tomorrow. If you win, you may decapitate us, if we win over you, we will decapitate you." "All right!" Coyote replied. (2) The younger brother said to Coyote, "They are going to win over us, older brother!" Coyote replied, "No! I will win, my younger brother!" (3) The next morning they brought two 1

Other versions: Hunt, myth 34 (p. 97); Mary Eyley, myth 2 (p. 169); Northwest Sahaptin Texts, 1, p. 232, by Hunt.

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runners to them, one was Magpie, the other — T h e y asked Coyote, "How far shall we run?" Coyote replied, "Yes! five mountains." 4. Coyote was first to run, with —,1 Coyote raced on ahead to the second mountain, he caught up to him at the third, at the fourth he was running ahead of Coyote, he had won over Coyote at the fifth. They decapitated Coyote. 5. Then Fox and Magpie ran, it was at the third mountain that Magpie left Fox to the rear, when Fox reached the top of the fourth one, he saw Magpie completing the descent. (2) Then Fox increased his efforts, at last reached the bottom, climbed to the fifth one, saw down below that Magpie was already half the way down. (3) Then Fox redoubled his efforts, when he reached the bottom at the fifth mountain, he was far closer to overtaking Magpie. Again now he was closer and closer to where they were running, to where the goal was. (4) Fox ran just as fast as he could run, when they were quite close to it, he caught up to him right there, Fox passed Magpie. Magpie plunged himself into the ground (in suicide), Fox beheaded Magpie. 6. He went to Coyote, he stepped back and forth over him, Coyote sat up, and Coyote said to him, " I knew, younger brother, that we could beat them." Fox said to Coyote, "Come! let us decapitate them." Coyote and Fox did decapitate all those people, they took many things from them. 7. He said to Coyote, " I am going to leave you now. I merely wanted to save your life, and so I followed you. Now you may go on, while I will go back again." Then they parted company. 7. Cougar d e c a p i t a t e s s t i c k swallower, skull pursues. W i l d Cat s t e a l s f i r e , Cougar f i g h t s avengers. He c u t s Mink f r o m a fish. Mink makes r a i n , gets food f r o m wells. T h e y e s c a p e G r i z z l y ' s f a t h e r . 2 1. There were Cougar and Wild Cat, they dwelt there. Wild Cat was Cougar's younger brother. Cougar went hunting, and he brought back a large deer. He said to Wild Cat, "Go away! go look for — 3 leaves!" (2) He went to look for them, he found them, but they tore, he went further away, as he went along he sang, 1 2 3

Eyley Other Texts, Eyley

J r . did not know the word for this bird. versions: Eyley Sr., myth 2 (p. 133); Hunt, in Northwest 1, pp. 183, 219. J r . did not know the native word for this kind of leaf.

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"My older brother and I have a lot of food, I wonder who would eat with us ?" (3) H e reached an old man, the old man said to him, " I will eat with you, m y grandchildren." 2. The old man followed him, they came to a creek, the old man had a fish basket t r a p there, the old m a n took the fish trap, in it were a great many odds and ends of small sticks. (2) The boy said to him, "You do not have any sort of fish, there are only small sticks." The old man poured those little sticks into himself. He and the old man went on, he (the old man) tried to grasp him b u t missed, then he licked his hand. 3. When they arrived, the older brother saw him, " H e is bringing a dangerous being!" When t h e y arrived, Cougar served food on the woven maple bark mat, the old man seized m a t and all, wrapped it up, and swallowed it. (2) He took the antlers, wrapped them in t h e hide, and swallowed it. Cougar brought a large flat rock for the old man. Wild Cat himself said to his older brother, " H e is devouring everything, and there is not a thing left for t h e two of us." (3) Cougar replied to him, "Be quiet! You yourself brought him. I told you not to go far away." The old man said to them, "You will be for m y evening meal tomorrow, my grandchildren!" 4. The old man lay down, he made a pillow of t h a t large rock t h a t Cougar had brought for him. Cougar told Wild Cat t o r u n in yonder direction far away, towards the large river. Wild Cat ran away. Cougar had told him, " I n a little while, after I have chopped off his head, I will soon catch up to you." 5. Cougar watched the old man, " H e has begun to sleep, his eyes are shut now." He went to him, he tried to seize him b u t could not, so he left him again for some time. (2) Then he heard him, " H e is snoring now." He went to him, his eyes were wide open, b u t now he did not move when approached. H e took a large sharp stone, went to him, dropped it on him and cut off his head, it was chopped clean off. Cougar fled. 6. The body rolled in yonder direction, b u t the head followed him. Cougar ran on, some distance beyond he caught up to Wild Cat, as he kept on he seized him, he ran along carrying him, he went on holding him under his arm. (2) The head p a r t followed them, as Cougar ran along he saw it coming closer, he leaped to the side of the trail, the dangerous thing went right on. As he went along Cougar became fatigued, t h a t head continued pursuing them. (3) Cougar ran on, Cougar threw Wild Cat ahead of him, and then again he seized him. H e was beginning to feel tired, and so as he went along Cougar addressed his rain power, in a short time it became cloudy, and then it rained; fog came, it rained heavily.

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(4) That dangerous thing became lost as it went along, it could be heard wandering further and further away. Then the two of them went away by themselves, Cougar was thoroughly exhausted. 7. They reached a stream, there they halted, Cougar made a fire, and he said to Wild Cat, "Be careful! take good care to watch the fire, lest you allow it to go out." Cougar went away, he went hunting. (2) Wild Cat himself played, forgetful of the fire, then he thought about the fire, he went to look, it was already out. He did not know what to do, there was no longer fire. 8. He saw that there was smoke rising on the opposite side, he thought, "My older brother might give me a beating, when he comes back to me, and there is no fire at all." He thought, "I'll cross to the other side of the river, I'll go steal the fire." (2) Wild Cat swam to the other side, he went to the house, an old woman was all alone there, she had the tops of five trees, wood from Douglas firs. (3) He took one burning brand from her, Wild Cat carried it away, Wild Cat swam across with it,i it burned his nose, he placed it further back, again it burned him there, and so on just like that to the end of him, to the tip of his tail. (4) He reached the other side with it, Wild Cat was branded with it, with the burns from the fire. 9. The old woman herself counted her fires, she said, "I have fewer fires." She counted, "One, two, three, four, five, no! no!" Again she counted, five times. (2) She found there were only four now. She went outside, she saw Wild Cat, he had a large blaze now. She wanted to cross over to him, the old woman waded in the water, when it got above her knees she said, "Oh dear! my undergarment is getting wet." The old woman went again to shore. 10. Cougar himself saw a large deer, he shot at it, his bow broke, and suddenly there was a smell as of a corpse. He realized, "Wild Cat must have done something wrong." He ran away, he reached Wild Cat, when still some distance away he smelled his fire, "He has the fire of a dangerous being." (2) When he reached Wild Cat, he scattered and put out the fire. Cougar said to him, "You have surely done ill, you must have stolen fire from the dangerous being." 11. A large man came to the opposite side packing a deer, he shouted as he came, "Who stole my grandmother's fire?" He stripped, leaped into the stream, and came swimming across. (2) Cougar gave Wild Cat a hatchet, and said to him, "In a moment we will fight. You must strike him at the tendon of Achilles." The man came ashore, Cougar met him, they took hold of one another, they fought. (3) Wild Cat himself, while weeping, chopped and

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chopped at him. "Where shall I strike him, older brother?" He cut through his (tendon), Cougar threw him down, he bit him to death, he threw him away. He sharpened Wild Cat's hatchet. 12. Again another man with a pack came down to the river packing a brown bear, he unloaded his pack, and shouted, "Who stole my grandmother's fire ?" He stripped, leaped into the water, came swimming across, emerged from the water, Cougar met him, they seized one another, they fought. (2) Wild Cat himself, while crying, struck and struck at him, he broke it clear through. Cougar threw him down, he bit him to death, he threw him aside. 13. In a short time a man came to the river packing a cougar, he unloaded it, and called out, "Who stole my grandmother's fire?" He stripped, he leaped into the water, came swimming across, came ashore, Cougar met him, they seized one another, they fought. (2) Wild Cat himself, while crying, struck and struck at him, "Where will I strike him, older brother?" He broke it clear through. Cougar threw him down, he bit him to death, he cast him aside. 14. In a short time still another man came down to the water packing a grizzly bear, he unloaded the pack, and shouted, "Who stole my grandmother's fire?" (2) He stripped, jumped into the river, swam across, while again he sharpened Wild Cat's hatchet. The man came ashore, Cougar met him, they seized each other, they fought. (3) Wild Cat himself, while crying, struck and struck at him, "Where will I strike him, older brother?" He chopped through his (tendon), Cougar threw him down, he bit him to death, he cast him away. 15. Then Cougar told Wild Cat, "The next one is going to kill me. You will be unable to chop through his. (2) After some time we will carry each other up above. When it is black flesh, it will belong to the dangerous being, and you will throw it away, when it is white, it will be my flesh." 16. Then indeed a man came down to the river packing live human beings, he unloaded them, he calledout,' 'Who stole my grandmother's fire ?" Without stripping off his clothes he plunged into the water, (and,) shortly after he went ashore. (2) Cougar met him. He had told Wild Cat before going, "That one will kill me." They took hold of one another, they fought, Cougar was tired now. For a little while Wild Cat chopped and chopped at him, and then they carried each other up above. (3) Pretty soon black flesh fell down, Wild Cat took it, and threw it away. Then white flesh fell down, he took it, he placed it close by. Then bunches (of flesh) fell down, he threw away the black pieces. (4) Two black pieces of liver fell down, he did not know whether they were his older brother's or

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whether the dangerous being's, because of that he cried and cried and cried, but he threw away one of them. (5) All of them had fallen now, the heads were still biting each other, with difficulty did he pull them asunder. 17. Wild Cat pieced Cougar together, he jumped back and forth over him, and Cougar arose. He said to Wild Cat, " I cannot live. You must have placed the liver of the dangerous being in me, you must have thrown away my own liver." (2) Wild Cat said to him. "Let it be your own liver, the better that you become a dangerous being." Cougar said, "Very well then." 18. Cougar told Wild Cat, "We will part company now." Wild Cat wept, and said to him, "Not at all! I will go with you." Cougar said to Wild Cat, " I will make you arrows for large deer, and for small deer. (2) This you may have for large deer, this you may have for small deer. Whenever you come upon tracks of mine, you may follow them to any place where I may have covered over a deer for you." Cougar left him, and Wild Cat went away. 19. I do not know how far away he had gone, when he saw a large deer, he took the one he had given him for large deer, he shot and killed the large deer, and then he butchered it. He tied his hair in front just as he had seen it on his older brother. 20. Cougar himself went on, he found a large deer, he shot it, and then he went to seek Wild Cat. As he went he thought, " I t should be a great deal of food. I will go look for him, and show it to him." (2) He went along, and on the way he saw him. " A h ! " He is busy. I t seems to me that he killed a fawn." When he reached him, Wild Cat saw him, he loosened his knot of hair, and cried, " H i - ' - h i ' - - ! " (3) Cougar said to him, "You are fussing about nothing at all. Hurry, eat up the food, and I will take you and show you one deer I have killed. That is what I will be leaving for you." (4) Wild Cat finished cooking, and said to him, " E a t before you go, older brother!" He replied, "No! hurry and eat! so that we may go." Wild Cat ate hastily, he finished eating, they went to that place, they reached the deer. Then Cougar left Wild Cat. Cougar went away. 21. As he went along he found a boy. He said to him, " I will go with you, older brother!" The boy went along with him. They went on, as they went along they saw a lake, a great many ducks were there. (2) The boy said to him, "Shoot and kill one of them, older brother! I will go get it." Cougar said, "No! they are too far out, you never could get them." (3) The boy succeeded in persuading him, and then Cougar said to him, "Very well." He shot and killed one, the boy plunged into the water, he swam to it, he caught that duck, he swam with it, he nearly finished swimming

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(back) with it, when something swallowed him. (4) Cougar thought, " I am in trouble now. I wonder how I could find that boy." 22. He dug an outlet for that lake, a great many dangerous beings were in there. Cougar ripped open all the large ones, but he did not find the boy. To one small one he gave a kick in passing, and thought, "This one never could have swallowed the boy." (2) He tore open all of them, without finding the boy, and before going on gave it (the small one) several kicks, he did not think this one could have swallowed the boy. (3) Then he cut open t h a t one, out came the boy holding the duck. The boy said to him, "What have you been doing? You might have cut me to death. (4) You're big eyed, ugly tailed!" 1 Cougar said to him, "No! a dangerous thing swallowed you, with difficulty did I find you." 23. They went on. As they went along the boy asked him, "Where will we camp tonight, older brother?" Cougar replied, "That region must never be named, lest it rain." (2) The boy said to him, " J u s t name it rapidly, because I want to learn what is the name of t h a t region." Cougar said to him, "If you name it a number of times, it will rain." (3) The boy said, " I will not name it many times, older brother. Name it now! name it rapidly!" Cougar pronounced the name Tyigh (ta'ix). 2 The boy asked him, "Now just what was it you named, older brother ? I did not hear you." (4) Cougar said to him, "The way it is named, it is named Tyigh Tyigh Tyigh!" "Oh oh oh! now I am learning! it is named Tyigh. (5) My older brother and I will camp overnight at Tyigh!" The boy ran on, "Tyigh! Tyigh! Tyigh!" When he took a jump, "Tyigh!" he said. "Tyigh and then I jump, older brother!" Cougar said to him, "Pretty soon it will rain, because you are naming it a number of times." (6) The boy said to him, "No! older brother! Tyigh is the name of the place where we will stay pretty soon for the night." 24. When they reached the place, Cougar said to him, "Make yourself a house!" The boy picked up a number of sticks, he constructed a house, the boy finished the house. (2) He said, "Come! older brother! I have a fine house." He replied, "No! it is your own house." I t rained, it became windy, in no long time the wind blew the house to pieces. (3) The boy repaired it, and said, "Rain as much as you like! I have a house." I t became dark, the boy was not able to repair the house at all now, the boy became 1 2

Rather mild, good humored jeering. The person laughed at is amused and enjoys the characterization. Compare this episode in Tyigh valley with the version by Hunt, in his myth number 11 (p. 23).

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cold. (4) He told his older brother, " I am beginning to feel cold. Could I come over to you ?" He replied, "No. You are at Tyigh. Go say Tyigh! T y i g h ! " (5) The boy whimpered and cried, and then he could not cry any more. Cougar took out his fire drill container, into it Cougar put the boy, and then the boy slept. 25. When morning came upon them, Cougar said to him, "Go there for food. I have two women there." The boy ran away, he came back again, "There are no women at all. There are only two wells." (2) He replied, "Those are my two women." The boy ran along again, he reached the wells, he said, "Your husbandis hungry." Those wells just bubbled ma'lalalalalal. (3) He came back again to Cougar, he said to him, "The wells would not give me any food whatever. They merely bubbled." Cougar said to him, "Shut your eyes, and when you open your eyes, you will have food." (4) The boy ran away, he reached the wells, he only partly shut his eyes, those wells merely bubbled. Then he shut his eyes, tight shut, a little while, he opened his eyes, and there was hot food right there, it was steaming hot. (5) He carried it back to his older brother, he brought it to Cougar's place. He said to him, "You eat! while I go yonder to eat." 26. When the boy finished eating, he went to return the dishes, he brought theirs to them, he said to them, "Here are your dishes." Those wells only bubbled. (2) The boy said, " Y o u are queer persons. You do not speak." He shut his eyes a little while, when he opened his eyes there were no more dishes. 27. His older brother arrived, and said to him, " L e t us go far away. I want a different wife." They went away. They reached where there was an old man, he had a daughter, and two sons. (2) Cougar wanted that daughter of his. When they went to sleep for the night, the boy slept in a mountain beaver hide. When Cougar was asleep, the old man came across to him, knife in hand, he wanted to stab him. (3) The boy arose, he called to his older brother, " H e is going to kill you, older brother! he wants to stab y o u ! " The old man went back, he said as he lay down, "Hush! boy! your talk may awaken your older brother, he wants to sleep, he must be fatigued. (4) I was not doing anything. You're an empty headed b o y ! " The boy said to him, "You're empty headed yourself! You wanted to kill my older brother." While lying there the boy kept watching him through the eyes in the mountain beaver blanket, and he kept on just like that until sunrise. 28. The old man thought, "He's a bad boy. I wonder how I could get rid of him." He said to him, "High up yonder I have two birds. Fetch them for me, b o y ! " (2) The boy ran away, he reached there, 9*

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Rock and Flint were fighting one another, there was no way to come close to them, the boy reached them, and he said, "Become small!" (3) They did become small indeed. The boy took them, brought them back, threw them inside to the old man, and said, "Become large ones again!" (4) Again Rock and Flint fought each other, with difficulty the old man drove his own birds away again. He said to the boy, "You are only a foolish boy! you brought dangerous things." The boy said to him, "You said they were your own birds." 29. The old man thought again, "I wonder what could be done to get rid of the boy. He is a bad boy." The old man said to him, "We will go to a relative of mine for wood." (2) They went by canoe, when they had crossed to the other side of the river, the old man said to him, "Stay right here! In a little while when a great deal (of fir bark) has fallen, carry it to the canoe." (3) The old man thought, "Now I can kill the boy with this fir bark." The old man pried fir bark loose, immediately then a small piece fell down, the boy took it, and ran with it to the canoe, he brought it to the old man. (4) The old man thought, "He is a rascal of a boy. I thought that I had killed him." They carried all the fir bark, they loaded it on. 30. The boy noticed, "There is no place whatever for me to ride, there is only just so much for him." When they finished loading, he told the boy, "I am going to put you in here." (2) He put the boy in his hatchet case, he placed him forward in the boat. They went on, in the center of the stream the old man made the canoe rock, he said to the boy, "u'huhuhuhu, my relative! the waves are doing it to us!" (3) The boy fell into the water. The old man saw him. "Now I have drowned the rascal of a boy!" The boy sank to the bottom. 31. Here he was Mink boy.1 He made a hole through, he untied the knot, he came out of it, he packed it, he ran along under the water with it. The boy brought it back, he met the old man again. (2) When he saw him, the old man thought, "He is a rascal of a boy! I am quite unable to do anything to him." They finished bringing the wood. 32. The next day the boys told Cougar that there were tracks. The old man said, when he was fixing his roasting stick, "If you shoot it, son-in-law, I will roast the nipples." (2) They made a bow and arrow of horsetail for Cougar, they had planned it for him, so that this woman could bite him to death. This woman was Grizzly. 1

Or, here he became Mink boy. It is Mink who met Cougar in paragraph 21.

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33. While Cougar himself was far away, he stepped on and broke the leg of Meadow Lark. Meadow Lark cried out, "a'nananana! (He thinks) that I am shortening his life, and wanting to devour him, so that then he steps on my leg!" (2) Cougar said to her, "No! my aunt! Let me make a leg of twigs for you." Cougar made a leg of twigs for her, and then Meadow Lark explained to him, (3) "They want to kill you, they want to go and show you tracks, but you will go, you will dress up an old stump with your clothes, you will attach to it there that bow and arrow, the ones they give you. And you will hide at a distance away." — "Very well!" 34. He went along, Cougar returned. They took and showed Cougar the tracks indeed. He went on, he found their tracks, he followed, he dressed an old stump in his own clothes, he made it hold that bow and arrow, he went into hiding. (2) A Grizzly appeared at that place, she approached it, she turned away from it again, she went towards it, she leaped at it, she bit and bit at the neck, and then Cougar shot at her ribs, he shot again and killed Grizzly. 35. When Cougar had skinned her, the boys came to him; they saw her; the boys wept. Cougar said to them, "Hurry! come here! We will pack it. The old man is hungry." (2) They brought it. He roasted the nipples for the old man, he said to the old man, " I killed her. Here are roast nipples for you!" The old man wept, but he pretended that it was smoke in his eyes, he said, "Phew what smoke!" But not, "My daughter!" (3) Cougar turned and turned it till it was done, he gave it to the old man, but the old man was not able to eat it, there was smoke in his eyes, and he was weeping again. 36. Then Cougar and Mink left him. Cougar was still wifeless.

8. T h e b u r n i n g of t h e S o f t B a s k e t P e o p l e . 1. There was a meanly mischievous boy, he was continually cranky and angry. They left him, the boy was all alone in the house. The Soft Basket Person came to him, the boy was alone, crying. (2) She looked in, she said to him, "What is the matter, grandchild?" The boy said to her, "You are certainly not my grandmother. (3) You are the dangerous Soft Basket Person." She said to the boy, "You are naming a dangerous being, grandson. I am no dangerous being at all." She proffered him a salmon head. (4) She said to the boy, "Here's a salmon head, grandson." The boy took her by the hand, the boy pulled and tugged harder at her, the Soft Basket Person said to him, "You are hurting me, grand-

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son!" The boy tugged still harder, he pulled off one of her arms, "a'nanananan!" cried the Soft Basket Person as she ran along. 2. The boy went outside, because the house was almost full of the arm of the Soft Basket Person. The boy ran on, he went to tell the people, he reached them, he told them, " I pulled off one arm of the Soft Basket Person." (2) They said to him, "Be still! boy! You are speaking of a dangerous being. You would not be able to do anything to her, she could swallow you." Again the boy said to them, "No! I really did pull hers out. (3) And the house has become nearly all full with her arm." They discussed it with one another. "One of you go see what the boy said!" (4) One of them ran, he went to see it, he found it, there really was one arm of the Soft Basket Person. He came back again, he brought the news, he told them, "There really is an arm of the Soft Basket Person." 3. One of the Soft Basket Person's people arrived, the envoy spoke, this person said, " I t is said that you could join her arm back on her again." (2) They told the envoy, "Yes indeed. You are to come to the place where her arm is." Numbers of them went to that place, when they reached there, the Soft Basket People arrived. 4. They prepared the house so that a great many could go inside. They prepared a quantity of pitch, they placed the pitch around the house, and a great deal of it at the door. (2) That one of them who was to fasten on her arm told them all, "You are to dance and make a loud noise for me, and you are also to sing power songs for me. (3) All of you go inside." They brought in the one whose arm the boy had torn off. They all went inside, they sang a power song, " P u t it right together, ka-k-'ls-ls-leP u t it right together, ka-le-'le-le-ls-" (4) They told the Soft Basket People, "All of you sing your power song loudly for her, and dance for her, so that we may the better fasten it back on her." They winked to one another, they went outside, now only the Soft Basket People were dancing and singing the power song loudly. 5. Coyote himself spoke to one (Soft Basket) maiden who was outside having her first menses. "Lick my face with your tongue, younger sister!" When she licked Coyote's face, Coyote bit her tongue clear off. (2) Then they set those Soft Basket People on fire, in no long time those Soft Basket People were consumed, they were unable to go outside. (3) That maiden was unable to give them warning, she could not speak, only just pa' pa' pa' pa', and it could not be heard. All the Soft Basket People burned.

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9. Hwilpi'us k i l l s his sons, one s u r v i v e s to kill him. 1 1. There was a man, he was chief, he had many wives. He told them, "When you give birth to a baby boy, you are to kill him in the river." On the other side of the river one gave birth to a baby boy, she kept it secret. (2) A man who came to see it arrived, the baby was wrapped up, they told him, " I t is a girl." When it became bigger, they told the boy, "Go far away! Seek power! because otherwise your father will kill you." (3) The boy went away, he remained far away for a time, in no long time the boy grew to be a man. 2. He came back, he said, " I am going to see the old man now." He crossed to the other side, he reached it, he came there, he went inside, he found only women present there. (2) He said to them, "You are peculiar people. Where are your men? And you have no boy babies whatever, all of them are just girls." (3) He had brought with him a broken stick, he showed it to the women, he said to them, " I found tracks this much in length. There certainly must be a large person somewhere hereabouts." 3. When he turned back, and returned home, the old man arose, he asked, "Where did he just go ? Follow with your eyes where he will be going to in a little while." (2) They followed him with their eyes, they told him, "He is journeying upriver." He crossed immediately to the other side in his canoe. The man was tall, his foot was long, he lay down the width of the house from side to side. (3) The old man sent a slave. "Cross over to him! You are to tell him that I will come to him tomorrow, and that I am going to kill him." 4. The slave went, he came to the man, he told him, "He says that he will come to you tomorrow, and that he is going to kill you." (2) The man replied, "Very well. When he comes tomorrow, he will kill only me myself, he is not to kill my people. And indeed should I myself kill him, I will not kill his people." The slave turned back, he brought the information. 5. The next day they saw, "The old man is coming now. There are a great many people of the old man." I t (the canoe) was full of arrows. As they went along the old man told his people, "Shoot him!" (2) The man himself, when he saw them, said to his people, "Do not stir! so that he may kill only me myself." He took one old arrow, he said, " I will give the old man only one arrow." (3) He went to meet him, he went down to the water to him. The old man 1

Eyley says that this is a Cowlitz Salish myth told by his mother Mary Eyley. The old man giant is named hwilpi'us.

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said, "Shoot him!" They shot at the man, they (the arrows) slipped off him. (4) The man ran towards him, he ran on top of the water, he ran up close to him. Meantime the old man continued shooting arrows at him, not an arrow would pierce him, all of them simply slipped off him. Then the man shot the old man to death, with only a single shot. 6. The man said to those people, "Be still! I am not going to kill you. Go back home again!" He took the old man, he threw him into the water. The man said, "Now I alone will be of such a large size. (2) No one will grow to such a size any more, no one will be like that again, as the old man was. From now on every one will be happy when a baby boy is born, or a girl." 7. The old man floated downstream, he was caught at an island, at the one where they are caught1 at the present time. When someone is drowned, they nearly always may be found at that place, there at the mouth of the Cowlitz and a short distance below. 10. Vulva outraces Penis. 2 There were Little Penis and Little Vulva. They raced one another. When they ran Little Vulva (sounded) t'la"t'la"t'la". Little Vulva won from Little Penis (because the spectacle of her running made him laugh so hard that he could not run fast). 1 2

Namely drowned people. Jim Yoke first dictated this story to me, but so rapidly that it could not be recorded; he would not recite it slowly for purposes of writing. A day or so later interpreter Eyley Jr. was induced to dictate it in this poor form, which provides only the content and entirely lacks the liveliness and feeling of the original. The aged Klikitat informant, Hunt, also knew the story and quickly recounted it, but likewise refused to tell it slowly so that it could be written. Hunt remarked that according to the Klikitats the place of occurrence of the episode was at Bingen, on the north bank of the Columbia River east of White Salmon.

COWLITZ AND UPPER COWLITZ MYTHS Sam Eyley Sr. Mr. Eyley, or a'ihili, 1 a n elderly m a n of seventy or eighty years, is a Yakima who married a Cowlitz Coast Salish w o m a n ; he understands but does not speak her language; h e replies to her in Sahaptin. I t is useful to consider these facts about Mrs. E y l e y : she is over sixty a n d a f a r abler person a n d better versed in native — especially Salish — lore t h a n her h u s b a n d ; she is partly upper Cowlitz ta'iDnapam, mainly lower Cowlitz Coast Salish (t'lkwi'lipam, as t h e upper Cowlitz say) in tribal identification; though she knows and tells ta'iDnapam m y t h s in t h e ta'iDnapam dialect which she speaks with only slight accent, her m y t h repertoire is largely lower Cowlitz Salish; most of t h e m y t h s her h u s b a n d knows or tells a t t h e present time are of t h a t origin. Mrs. Eyley usually tells m y t h s in Cowlitz, occasionally in ta'iDnapam dialect. The son and interpreter, Sam. N. Eyley J r . , often knew when a m y t h was Cowlitz, not ta'iDnapam, in origin; this is noted in each case. Eyley Sr. dictated mechanically, word a f t e r word a t regular intervals, not too rapidly, in a very loud voice, exceedingly dramatically; it was perfect dictation purely as dictation. However, t h e m y t h s are in substance weakly a n d sketchily recounted. I fear t h a t i m p o r t a n t omissions are almost their principal characteristic; this is more likely due t o lack of knowledge of the m y t h s f r o m early years, a n d lack of feeling for stylistic niceties in story telling, t h a n due to old age or some other cause. Mr. Eyley did his best, worked energetically a n d rapidly, a n d hugely enjoyed t h e telling, but he had never been a talented raconteur. His usual role in a n a t i v e setting was merely to provide quiet, inactive, good humored background. N o t only are t h e exact tribal origins of the m y t h s matters of doubt a n d omissions of content not infrequent, b u t the p u r i t y of the dialect Eyley Sr. uses is under suspicion. Consider t h a t natively a Yakima, he had lived for forty or more years among Cowlitz a n d ta'iDnapam, the latter provincialism being perfectly intelligible t o a Yakima. I t is as if an Alabaman were to move t o Michigan and m a r r y a Russian who spoke Michigan quite well. So it is very h a r d to say how m u c h Eyley's Y a k i m a dialect has been warped with ta'iDnapam sounds, words, phrases, idioms; u n f o r t u n a t e l y we possess no pure Yakima texts as a check. I suggest t h a t t h e stories be considered a s Salish Cowlitz, told in Yakima, a n d having ta'iDnapam traces. 1

Another of Mr. Eyley's names is i'lstxalikt.

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Eyley Jr., the son and translator, speaks a ta'iDnapam provincialism purer than either parent and he has commented occasionally upon a peculiarly Yakima usage. The dictations and translations were made at the interpreter's home, Morton, Washington, in July and August, 1927. The myths are given in the order in which they were dictated by Eyley Sr.

1. " T h e p e r s o n w h o s u c k s i n . " C o y o t e ' s a d v e n t u r e s with the River Swallower, Intestines entangler, Bark b i n d e r , air sucker, rock b a t t e r e r , and buffaloes.1 1. There was Coyote. There were large numbers of people. In the river was a dangerous thing. A canoe would be going along, and the dangerous thing would gulp it down, (people and) all, in the river. (2) I t would swallow the people. I t had a dog. The dog had an informant. The informant was kingfisher. Coyote said, " I will make him choke." Coyote made a raft. (3) " I will make a raft, and I will make the River Swallowing Monster choke on it." And so he made a very large r a f t of Douglas fir wood. He went and floated downstream with the raft. I t swallowed Coyote, r a f t and all. 2. Moon and his younger brother Sun spoke. Sun was the younger brother of Moon. "Let us cut and tear it apart." "Very well." They made a raft, I do not know of what sort of stone, but that is how sharp it was. "Very well." (2) That is what the two brothers made. They went and landed above there. They came ashore, and reached Kingfisher. "ya'DyaDyaDya." They quickly showed him red, green and white paints, 2 and with them they decorated Kingfisher. (3) So Kingfisher flew away. They came to the dog, hit it, cut it into halves. Ow ow! The River Swallowing Monster opened its mouth. The two men, Moon and his younger brother Sun, went below, rode in their canoe, and went on. (4) He said to his younger brother, "Paddle hard, so that we can cut and rip it open." And so they went on, and pulled hard at paddling. The dangerous River Swallowing Monster opened his mouth. Moon and his younger brother Sun cut him open. 3 Out came Coyote! 4 (5) Moon and his younger brother heard all the people coming out of the water, some still alive, others already dead. They took them all, and they 1

The name of the myth is pasi-k'ukla', which may be freely translated as the "person who sucks in", or the "sucking monster". The title is taken from one of the episodes of the myth. 2 Native color terminology is inadequately translated with words available in English. 3 They crashed into him with their sharp edged stone prow. 4 These words in a quavering monotone chant.

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stepped back and forth over those who were dead, all those dead ones revived and became well. All those people went to their homes. 3. Coyote went on. He came upon a house that had smoke coming out of it. He went to the place, and saw an old woman seated there, a hunch-backed old woman. He said to her, "Hello! father's sister! why are you sitting here all alone ?" (2) She replied to him, "Ah! brother's son! I am just sitting here by myself. Are you hungry, brother's son ?" The old woman arose and got a large soft basket. (3) She took and threw that soft basket at Coyote. That old woman was Intestines. The intestines entangled and bound Coyote. Coyote seized his knife, he cut and cut through those intestines, he cut and cut all through the intestines that entangled him. (4) Coyote cut them all to pieces. Old woman Intestines fell down (dead). Coyote said, "You will never again be a dangerous thing, the Intestines Person. There will be only mere intestines." Coyote went away from that place. 4. While going along he observed a house. He went to the house there. An old man was at the place. He said to him, "Grandson! Wither are you journeying?" "Oh, l a m traveling along towards the buffalo country." (2) "Oh, you will never reach the buffalo country. There is a dangerous thing nearby, and you can never pass that." Coyote said, "Oh! I have traveled by many dangerous things, and I killed the dangerous things as I went along. (3) No dangerous thing ever could kill me." — "Indeed, what have you killed on your way ?" "Why, I killed the River Swallowing Monster, that is a thing I killed. And before reaching here I killed old woman Intestines. (4) Nothing could kill me." — "Oh, but it is a dangerous thing. You never could pass it." — "Oh, I'll pass it. If it does not kill me. I will kill it myself." The old man replied, "Very well, grandson! If nothing will kill you, here is wild cherry bark for you, you can have it for any purpose at all." 5. He got a ball of wild cherry bark for him, he hit him with the cherry bark, that cherry bark entangled and tied him up. Coyote fell down, his limbs entirely wrapped and tied with the cherry bark, and his hands all (tied too). (2) He got his knife, and cut and cut at the cherry bark. All right then! Coyote got to his feet, no more tied up by the cherry bark, he had cut it all to pieces. (3) Old man Wild Cherry Bark fell down and died. Coyote went on directly. He burst into laughter as he went. "Ha! ha! ha! wild cherry bark never could kill me, it's only mere cherry bark. (4) I can do like that and kill all sorts of dangerous things. And cherry bark never could kill me." Coyote went on.

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6. While going along he saw that Dangerous Being sitting in the middle of the plains. "What can I do to kill it ?" He went, twisted hazel rope, and tied himself to five mountains. (2) He pulled grass, made a grass garment, and cloaked himself with that. He went towards the dangerous thing, the sucking monster. (3) When near it he shouted, "Let's suck air!" The dangerous sucking monster heard him. "Goodness! what is it that shouted to me ?" It did not see what had called to it. (4) It looked all over. It could not see what it was that had called out. It thought, "Yes indeed, it may be a dangerous thing, it may kill me." He shouted. It did not see him. Again he shouted. (5) It looked for him, but still could not see him. He shouted again. It heard exactly where the sound came, but it could not see him at all. (6) It looked for him at the very place where he had been calling. He shouted once more. Then it saw him, it saw his mouth right here, when it was open. 7. It said to him, "All right! you suck the air!" Said Coyote, "No! you suck the air, for it is you rather who are the dangerous sucking monster." It replied, "No! you yourself challenged me to an air sucking (match)." (2) Five times. So then Coyote got up, and he said, "Very well then. I will suck towards you." Coyote sucked towards the dangerous sucking monster. A strong wind came towards him, and (he was pulled) nearly to Coyote's mouth. (3) The Dangerous Person was frightened. He thought, "He certainly must be powerful." He sucked towards Coyote. Hung there, one of the hazel ropes that tied Coyote broke. (Held) with only four more. (4) He said to him, "All right! Ready now!" He said to him, "You suck towards me," to Coyote. Coyote sucked. (5) The Dangerous Sucking Monster did not bend down far towards him this time. Once again he sucked towards Coyote, again one of the fastening hazel ropes broke. (6) There were merely three more now. Coyote sucked again, but he did not bend far this time. He sucked at him again, again one tie rope of hazel broke. (7) Only two more. And now he sucked towards the Dangerous Sucking Monster, not so very far did he make him bend. Coyote had become not very strong of breath. (8) He sucked towards Coyote again, again one fastening broke. Merely one more now. Again Coyote sucked; not another movement, the Dangerous Being just sat there. (9) Then Coyote was there, yes indeed, with only one fastening that remained. Very well. He sucked towards Coyote, the hazel tie rope broke, and Coyote went inside him. 8. Grizzly leaped at him, Cougar leaped at him, Coyote drew over himself the grass garment, all the dangerous things were just about to leap at him, they would have bitten him. He said, "Get away!

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you arefaeces!" (2) He went further down inside it. It was just like a house in there. He saw, goodness! lots of fine food, fat. He went to it and cut off fat. He ate that. He thought, "What ought I to do ? I'll make a fire." (3) He took out his fire making tools, and he made a fire. That fat melted, and Coyote ate it. 9. Then that Dangerous Being became ill. It realized, "Oh. surely this must be Coyote I swallowed." And it spoke to him in this manner, "Oh, I did not know I swallowed you. I believe I really did swallow you this time, Coyote. You may go outside again, and go away." (2) And Coyote said, " I certainly can not go out of you again now. You swallowed me, and I am faeces now." Coyote obtained a lot of good dry sticks, and set them on fire. (3) Then it suffered from pain. "Dear, oh dear! Coyote! Go out once again! I did not realize I had swallowed you. I did not think you were Coyote. You can really come out again and go away." (4) "Nothing of the sort! Were I myself to swallow you, you would never come out again." It was no very long time, and the Dangerous Being fell (dead). (5) Coyote said to all those who were alive, "See! I have killed the Dangerous Being. Wherever you may be journeying, you may go on, for I have killed the Dangerous Being." Coyote went outside. (6) Coyote burst into laughter as he went on. "Ha ha ha ha ha!" He had killed the Dangerous Being. 10. His younger brother Fox ran to meet him, and said to him, "Where are you journeying to, older brother V He replied, "Yes. I am journeying towards the buffalo country." (2) His younger brother said to him, "Let me go with you, older brother!" "All right. You may go with me." He told him as follows. "There is a dangerous thing nearby. You can never pass it." Coyote laughed. (3) "Oh, before I came here I killed a number of dangerous things of different kinds. But what is this Dangerous Being?" He replied, "Yes, Rock is the dangerous thing. Providing you give it a blanket, you may pass. (4) If you do not give it a blanket, the rock, the Dangerous Rock Being, will strike at you." — "Oh well. I might give it a blanket." 11. He went on, he came to that place. A very large rock lay there. Coyote took a blanket, and gave it. Fox took a blanket, and gave it. (2) Coyote went on, but not very far, when he said to his younger brother Fox, "Indeed, younger brother! you are a goodfor-nothing! For what reason did you make me give a blanket to the rock place?" (3) Coyote went and returned there again, he went to get his blanket. The younger brother was frightened. "Oh, Coyote will be the death of me now." (4) Coyote ran on, laughing as he went, "Ha ha ha." When rather near it, he heard, "Oh, what

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is t h a t sound ?" He saw, heavens! the frightful rock was battering the hills and the ground to pieces. (5) Coyote ran away. Meantime Fox was running on already far away from there. I t hit Coyote and smashed him. Coyote lay there. I t pursued Fox, it caught up to him. I t battered and smashed Coyote, and there he lay. (6) I t followed Fox, it overtook him. Fox leaped aside, Rock rolled right on. Then Fox ran on again. That is how Fox was running this way and t h a t way, away from it. And t h e n Fox became tired out. 12. Grandfather called to him, "This way! grandchild!" from out of the lake. The house of grandfather Beaver was there. He shouted to him, "This way! grandchild!" (2) Fox ran on, jumped into the water in the lake, swam across. I t saw him swimming over to his grandfather, Rock leaped in, fell down into the water, and there it lay, a rock. (3) Fox was still alive. Grandfather Beaver said to him,"Now, my grandson! Go on to where you are journeying!" Fox swam across, Fox went on. " I will go seek m y older brother." 13. Fox went, returned there, looked for his older brother, a t t h a t place he found Coyote lying holding a blanket, the very blanket he had taken back from Rock. (2) And there Coyote lay, holding t h e blanket. His younger brother said to him, " I am going to leave you again. You might cause my death." (3) The younger brother Fox told Coyote, " I am going to leave you again." They separated. "Very well indeed. As for me, there is nothing t h a t will kill me." Fox went away. He came back again. Coyote had gone away, he had gone far far away. 14. Going along he saw a buffalo. The buffalo chased him angrily. There were five Douglas firs at t h a t place there. Coyote ran to there, where the five firs were, and he climbed up a tree there. (2) Buffalo got to him there, and gazed up at him. He was seated up there in the fir. Coyote looked a t him, and Coyote said, "Yes, he is looking a t me, the damned face!" 1 (3) Buffalo was looking a t him, and got angry. I t leaped at the fir, pierced it with its horns, down it went roots and all! Coyote jumped to another fir, and seized hold of it. (4) Meantime t h a t fir had fallen to t h e ground. I t looked up, there Coyote was seated above. He spoke to it again the very same way, "He's looking at me, the damned face! Why you could never kill me. (5) I have traveled this far, and I have been killing them along m y way." He said it five times, and then the dangerous Buffalo leaped, it pierced the fir, it gave way roots and all! Again Coyote seized another fir. (6) W h e n it fell to the ground, Buffalo looked a t it, b u t no Coyote at all there on the fir t h a t fell. 1

This is an approximate rendition of the epithet. Interpreter Eyley Jr. was not able to supply a literal translation.

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He looked above quickly, and once again there was Coyote on another fir. (7) Again he spoke to him in the same manner. "He is looking at me! When could you ever kill me ? On my way here I killed different kinds of dangerous things with ease." (8) Again Buffalo leaped at another fir, pierced it, it gave way. He caught hold of another fir. I t searched over the fir there, it did not see him. Coyote was seated up there on another fir. 15. Then Coyote became fearful. He thought, "Dear, oh dear! now he'll kill me, there are only two more firs." He was up there for a while, Coyote no longer knew what to say. (2) And again because of the situation Coyote became fearful. He thought, "He'll kill me now." He (Buffalo) watched him for a while. (3) He said, " I t looks as if you were going to kill me now. I suppose that although on my way here I killed many dangerous things of different kinds, you yourself will probably kill me, you rascal, damn your face!" (4) The Buffalo was angry. Again he leaped at the fir, he horned it, again it gave way. Only one more fir now. Coyote caught hold there (of another fir). (5) He searched for him on the (fallen) fir, he did not lie there. He looked up above, Coyote was seated high up there on it, on the one and only fir remaining. That one was the very last fir, then. 16. Coyote was terrified now. Said Coyote to Buffalo, he said, "Oh dear! younger brother! your horns are no longer any good. I will make you good horns. I am a person who makes horns." (2) Itreplied, "Allright. You will make good horns for me." — " I will make you very good horns." "Very well. You will make me very fine horns." (3) For a long time Coyote was frightened, Coyote did not go down. Buffalo said to him, "All right now. Come down! and make me good horns. I will not do anything to you." Coyote came down, thoroughly terrified. 17. Coyote got the knot of a dead log, and in this manner, somewhat bent, well pointed, (from) the knot of wood on the dead log, he made one (horn). He finished it. (2) Buffalo looked at it. "Oh! now that is a very fine horn." He said to him, "All right now! Make (another) for me!" Coyote got another (knot), and again made one of them. Oh, they were very fine horns. (3) Then he said to him, "Very well. Perhaps you know how to remove these horns from me." — "Yes indeed. And I made you good horns." Coyote removed his horns, and fitted the (new) horns on him. Why, they were very fine. Buffalo was well pleased. IS. He said to him, "All right now! Go on. go on now! you will climb up the hill there, and from it you will see five houses, tipis. The house in this direction you will reach there, and you will enter

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it. (2) There are no people at all in it. Good food is already prepared, t h a t is what you will eat forthwith. You will go to sleep. You will not see a person at all. (3) W h e n the sun rises, early in the morning, your food will be prepared, you will eat. When you go outside, you will cry out, and this is what you will say. 'The men will h u n t ! while the women will move to such and such a place!' (4) You will go hunting. To the very place where you spoke, to t h a t place they will have moved. You will see another house, it will be standing there, you will enter. (5) You will see food, it will be already prepared, good and hot. You will eat then. You will sleep through the night. The sun will rise. Your food will be well prepared. You will eat it and go. (6) You will call out again, 'They will move away! while the men go hunting, to such and such a place!' There will be a camp site a t t h a t place. You will go and hunt. (7) You will arrive in the evening at t h a t place, at whatever place you said. You will arrive there. You will enter the house a t t h a t place. Food will be already prepared there, you will eat forthwith. (8) You will remain all night. The sun will rise. You will see good food already prepared, you will eat. (9) You will go outside, you will call out, 'The women are to move on! the men are to go hunting!' At t h a t very place, whatever one you said, you will arrive. A house is lying there. Food is already prepared, you will eat. You will stay overnight." 19. Coyote went away. H e reached t h a t place, t h e one he had spoken of. A house was there, there was food already there, Coyote ate forthwith, and he remained overnight. (2) The sun rose. He went and called out, "a-'—, the women will move t o so and so! there will be a camp site there! And you will go about hunting, you will go and merely hunt, b u t do not shoot anything, just hunt anyhow!" 20. Coyote went on. He thought, " I wonder how they really do manage this moving. I'll lie in waiting along the trail, so t h a t I can the better see how those (women) move." (2) Coyote went, and a t t h a t place along the trail he lay in waiting for them. He did want to see how those (women) moved. There he sat, he wanted to see it. 21. Then he saw, "Goodness! a buffalo is coming this way. Goodness! I'll shoot it. P r e t t y soon they will pass this place, and then they can pack it b e t t e r . " (2) He sat hidden there, and watched t h e buffalo coming along. He shot it there. I t leaped, perhaps a few leaps, and fell (dead). Coyote was pleased a t t h a t . "Ah, I made a fine shot. They will pass by p r e t t y soon, and pack it away."

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22. The one for whom he had made the horn learned of it. That one ran along. He got four buffaloes, and then there were five buffaloes. They pursued Coyote, for they thought he soon would be skinning it, and butchering it. (2) For that reason they pursued Coyote very quickly. Coyote heard them moving and coming along in his direction. Coyote saw, "Good heavens! numbers of buffaloes coming!" Then he suddenly realized, "Oh dear! that very one for whom I made horns, that is the one who is coming!" (3) Coyote dropped that butchering, Coyote ran away. They followed him at no considerable distance, they caught up to him. Using the new horns that one (buffalo) pierced (them into) him, and they bore him away. Coyote was perched on the brand new horns. 23. The others went to their older sister. She lay there skinned, Coyote had been skinning her. Her older brothers and her younger brothers came to her, put her skin on her again, stepped back and forth over her, she became alive again. (2) Her older brothers and her younger brothers took her home again, to the very place from which she had moved. The older and younger brothers took her to her house again. Because if she reached there, she would be the woman at that house. 24. And that was the day he killed his wife.

2. Cougar d e c a p i t a t e s s t i c k swallower, s k u l l pursues. Wild Cat s t e a l s f i r e , Cougar f i g h t s a v e n g e r s . He c u t s Mink from a f i s h , Mink g e t s food f r o m wells; t h e y escape grizzly's father.1 1. There were Cougar and his younger brother. The younger brother was Wild Cat. He said to his younger brother, " I am going to the place where my woman is." The younger brother said to him, "If you go, I will accompany you. You must not leave me." And so the two brothers went. 2. He (Cougar) saw a large deer standing. There he shot it. There the large deer fell dead. He skinned it, and cooked it. The older brother said to him, "Make a large leaf-platter for serving." Wild Cat went to make that platter. 3. As he was going about here and there, Wild Cat sang a power song, singing in this manner, " I wonder who will eat with us ?" 1

Other versions:Eyley Jr., myth seven, p. 113; Hunt, in

Texts, 1,pp. 183, 219. 10

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(2) He saw a little house, smoke was coming out of it. He (the being in the house) called to Wild Cat, "I will eat with you!" Wild Cat thought, "Yes, yes! He's a poor old fellow! I will take him along, he will come eat with my older brother and me." He brought him along. 4. On the way, he saw there was a fish basket-trap in the stream for catching fish. The old man took it and carried it to the shore. A great many sticks and other trash had been caught in it. (2) That was what he took and brought ashore. He emptied it into his mouth, he ate up the sticks. Wild Cat was frightened. (3) He said to his grandfather, "Oh, grandfather! you are devouring sticks!" Wild Cat brought the old man home. 5. Cougar took the pot of stew out of the fire. The old man seized it, got it all together, put all of it with a single gulp down his mouth. The old man seized the meat right here by the (hind) legs, put it, legs and all of a large deer, in one gulp into him, and he ate it all up. (2) A dangerous being this old man! He ate up all the meat. He took the hide, wrapped up the head in the hide, and wrapped up a great antler in the hide. (3) Wild Cat squealed, "Oh, grandfather ! you are taking the antlers, grandfather! the big antlers and the skin will choke you!" (4) The old man said to them, "Oh, my two grandchildren! You are for tomorrow. I will breakfast on you tomorrow morning." 6. The old man stayed all night. He lay asleep there. He had a very small neck. When the old man was awake, his eyes remained shut as if sleeping. (2) When he slept, his eyes were open. That is how he slept. If something were given to him with his eyes shut, he would seize it. If his eyes were open, he did not seize it. He was sleeping like that, with eyes open. 7. The older brother told his younger brother Wild Cat. "I will kill him! Go away now! Hurry, 1 run as fast as you can straight upstream from here!" Wild Cat ran away. (2) Cougar made a stone knife. He said to his grandfather, "Grandfather! use this for a pillow!" He laid dow na large log for him, he fixed the large log as a pillow for him. (3) "He is open eyed now, he must be sleeping open eyed." He seized the sharpened stone, he threw it at his neck, clear through it went. The head went this direction, the body that direction. 8. Then Cougar ran on, and the head followed him. He caught up to his younger brother Wild Cat, seized him, and threw him far, far 1 ahead. The head would overtake Cougar, he would leap aside there, and it would pass on by. (2) Cougar became frightened, and 1

Word in falsetto.

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he got tired of it. Cougar entreated the fog to come. That head of the dangerous being got lost (in the fog). Again he found his younger brother. Both brothers went on at once. 9. They shot game, but now they were entirely exhausted with hunger. He said to his younger brother, "While I am getting the meat, you make a big fire." Wild Cat made the fire. (2) He played, taking no heed (of the fire). The fire went out. Wild Cat came back. "No fire now! I t must have gone out!" He saw there was fire wood on the other side of the river. Wild Cat swam across stream. (3) He saw an old woman was asleep, and she had a fire of large logs. Wild Cat stole the old woman's fire wood, placed the fire wood on his head, and swam across stream, carrying the stolen fire across. He made a fire (again). 10. The older brother Cougar was going along and saw a large deer standing. He shot at it. His bow broke. Cougar knew, "Oh dear! he is doing something wrong!" Cougar ran quickly. (2) Still a long distance away, he smelled as he went along, "Oh, the fire of a dangerous being it is the smell of!" Cougar got there, and he put out that fire of the dangerous being. 11. He saw a man coming, carrying a live grizzly. The man cried out, "Who stole the fire of my grandmother?" The man came down into the water, and waded across. (2) Cougar sharpened his axe, went down into the water, and waded over. They fought each other. Wild Cat took the axe, and sure enough he chopped into the heel tendon on his leg. Cougar threw and killed the dangerous being. 12. He saw another man coming carrying a live bear. The Dangerous Person came down into the water. "Who stole the fire of my grandmother ?" I t came ashore. Cougar and the dangerous being fought one another. He threw the dangerous being, and he killed it. 13. He saw another one coming carrying a live elk. I t came down into the water. I t waded across. "Who stole the fire of my grandmother?" I t came ashore, and they fought one another. (2) Wild Cat chopped through the heel tendon on its leg. Again, he killed that one. Now that was the third. 14. And again another was coming along carrying a live cougar. Right away it came down into the river, and it waded over. And again they fought one another. Cougar was tired now. (2) Wild Cat cut through his heel tendon, but he broke clear through his heel tendon with some difficulty. The older brother threw and killed him. That was the fourth, and only one more now. 15. He saw (a being) coming carrying a live person. He told his younger brother, "This one may kill me. You be energetic now, 10*

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chop at his heel tendon. (2) Soon we will take each other up in the air, and should I tear out meat from him, if I tear out meat from him, black meat belonging to the dangerous being will drop down below. (3) And should he tear meat from me, white meat will fall below. You will throw of the latter to one side, and of the dangerous being to the other side." (4) And sure enough that is how the white meat of Cougar fell down below. The black meat of the dangerous being he threw to the other side. (5) So Wild Cat did to the meat, he threw it all to (one or) the (other) side. Entrails fell down below. Wild Cat did not know whose entrails they were. He threw aside his older brother's. (6) He did not know whose they were, whether they belonged to the dangerous being. He threw aside the entrails of his older brother, because he did not know whether they might not probably be of the dangerous being. (7) Only bones fell down now, biting one another, no more meat. They were biting at one another tightly. (8) Wild Cat took his axe, and he knocked the (bones of the) dangerous being one way, and those bones of his older brother's the other way. 16. Then WildCat took all the meat of his older brother, fitted his older brother's meat together, placed the entrails and all inside. The older brother sat up and fell down, sat up and fell down. (2) The older brother said to him, "Oh, you must have given me the entrails of the dangerous being." Wild Cat said, "Oh older brother! never mind those entrails! If you are killed, and they devour you, they will throw away those entrails of yours." — (3) "Very well! I will keep these entrails of the dangerous being. With them I will be a dangerous being. Very well indeed!" 17. The older brother told Wild Cat, "We will separate now. You might cause me to be killed by a dangerous being." Wild Cat cried. The older brother said to him, "Do not cry. I will give you an arrow, with it you will shoot and kill food (game), and that is what you will eat." — (2) "All right!" The older brother gave Wild Cat an arrow, with which he could kill food, and which he would eat. 18. Wild Cat went away. He saw one standing, "Dear me! a big deer! Older brother! I killed a big deer." His older brother saw him. A small deer, a fawn, lay there. (2) He said to him, "Let that go! Come here! I have shot and killed a large deer, and you may eat that. But that other one, let it be! When I shoot and kill a large deer, I will store it away for you, and you will find it at that place. (3) That is what you will eat." — "Very good," reflected Wild Cat. He said, "Very well, older brother! Whenever I come upon your tracks, I will follow you, and at such a place I shall find what you have left for me." — "Very well!"

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19. Cougar went away. While going along he saw a boy (Mink) playing. He said to Cougar, ''Where are you journeying, older brother?" Hesaid, " I am going to my wife." — (2) "Oh older brother! let me accompany you!" — "No! you are too small, you will get 'tired.' — "No, older brother! I am strong. I will run and accompany you." They went on. 20. As they were going along they saw many birds, ducks, in a lake. He said, "Older brother! Shoot the one that is near the shore!" — " I would not shoot and kill it for no reason." (2) So then the boy shot and killed it. The boy's name was Mink. Mink swam across, to fetch that bird. He took it in his teeth, and swam back over with it. wu-'k!1 the dangerous salmon jumped at him, it swallowed Mink boy. Oh, Cougar's heart became very sad, " I t is too bad about my younger brother, the dangerous being swallowed him." 21. Cougar went on. He dug in the ground, that water flowed away, the entire land became waterless, but he did not find his younger brother. He cut up everything with a knife, but no younger brother anywhere. (2) Cougar did not know what had happened to his younger brother. When he had cut everything, and had not found his younger brother, oh, Cougar felt very very bad about what had become of his younger brother. Cougar went on. 22. While going along he saw a little fish lying there, entirely belly. Going by, he gave it a kick. Cougar went on. As he went, he reflected, "Oh dear, Iforgot,why didlnot c u t i t ? " ( 2 ) He went back again, took a knife, and cut at the little fish. When he cut it open Mink emerged from it. "Ah good! my older brother! but you almost cut me." — "Oh indeed!" said Cougar to him. (3) "Look! where is that lake ? and see! everything is cut up and lying scattered about, but I did not find you. I did not think that that fish could swallow you. See! that is the fish lying there." — (4) "Yes, indeed! older brother! let us go on again." — "Oh no!" said Cougar to Mink. It is best that you return home again." — "Oh no! older brother! I would rather go with you." — "Very well then." They went on. 23. His older brother said to him, "We will stay overnight at this place. I have two women at this place." — "Oh older brother! where are your two women ? let us camp there! I am hungry. (2) They had better give us food. I am hungry." The older brother said to him, "That is a fir. On hither side of the tree there you will see water from a spring. Sit at that place, say, 'Give me food!' and shut your eyes." 24. He went. He sat down by the spring water. He said, "Give me food! I am hungry." He shut his eyes just a moment, but they 1

In falsetto.

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did not give it to him a t all. So then he shut his eyes for a short time, and again opened his eyes, and saw lo! food had been placed there. (2) He carried it to his older brother. H e said, "They did not want to give it to me at all, but then I saw this food, the food had been placed there." Mink ate. 25. The older brother said to him, "Take back the platter to them again." He took away the platter and went to return it. H e handed it to them, "Here is your dish. Take i t ! " (2) That water boiled and bubbled, blabtablabteblo, ah, no good! H e p u t down t h a t dish, went away, turned, and looked back again. He saw there was no dish. 26. The older brother said t o him, "You camp here tonight, while I go to the women's place." — "Oh no, older brother! I will go with you." — "You will not go along." — "Very well then. I will camp over night, older brother." 27. Cougar went, to stay overnight at the water there, there a t the spring. At dawn they gave him food. "Give this food to your younger brother." Cougar went again, taking the food t o his younger brother. Mink ate. 28. Cougar said, "Go return t h a t dish again." Mink ran. H e proffered the dish, " H e r e is your dish. Take i t ! " The dish was not taken with t h a t . Mink took it. He set down t h a t dish. H e went away again, looked back, t h a t dish was no longer there. (2) He came to his older brother. "Oh, older brother! Your women do not seem to be any good. They never even reached out to me for t h e dish." 29. The older brother went away. H e came to where t h a t woman was, Grizzly woman. The father of the woman was Thunder. There he camped over night. Thunder told his daughter, "Do not do anything. My son-in-law will go do it tomorrow." (2) Next day the father-in-law said to him, "You will go hunting. These boys will go and accompany you. They will show you where the trail is. (3) There you will lie in wait, while they scare and drive (the game)." — "Very well." The father-in-law gave him bow andarrow. "This is what you will shoot with." 30. H e went. The boys told him, "They lie in wait for it here. We will go scare and drive it. Here is where it comes running." Cougar realized, "They really want to killme." He tookhisown arrow, and he lay in wait a t t h a t place. (2) He heard, "Wa-"wa-"wa-"wa-' i" 1 — "Now t h a t is what they are driving!" H e saw a grizzly running toward him. At once he knew, " T h a t is my woman." As she came near she saw him holding a different bow and arrow. (3) She knew, 1

Falsetto.

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"He might kill me now." She ran up close to him. She ran back again. Again she ran towards him. Cougar thought, "I'm taking too much time." She ran still closer towards him now. He shot and killed his wife. There she fell and died. 31. The boys came running, and he said to them, "Quick, hurry and skin her. The old man is assuredly beginning to be hungry now." The boys wept. He said, "Do not cry! Hurry and butcher it, and we will take it home, so that the old man can eat it forthwith." (2) They butchered it, took it homewards, got back with it. The old man saw it, and the old man cried and squealed. The old man knew there was nothing he could do to kill Cougar. (3) Hastily he roasted the meat on a stick. It became done, and he gave it to the old man. The old man cried. (4) Cougar asked, "Oh, why are you weeping, old man?" — "Oh no, smoke is getting into my eyes, but it is a good fire." The old man wept. He ate and wept together. (5) The older brother told Mink, " W e will leave him now. The old man might possibly do something to us pretty soon, and kill us." Cougar arose, and he went outside. Lo, and Mink was right there with him, he went with his older brother. 32. While going along they saw two dangerous beings fighting each other. Cougar took hold of the two dangerous ones, and, lo! they became little dangerous beings. (2) Carrying them he ran on, he reached the old man with them, he hurled them into the house of the old man. They fought again there. Oh, the old man was frightened. But Cougar and his younger brother ran away, as fast as they could run. 3. Coyote loses his milt daughters. T h e y steal Moon baby; Moon becomes transformer. 1. It was ni-'.1 2. There was Coyote. Coyote caught a salmon. He saw a fine white milt. He thought, " I could make something nice of the white stuff." He lay it on the ground, and covered it with leaves, for three days. (2) He went to look at it and heard laughter. He saw there were two very pretty girls from that milt. He said, "So did you awaken, my daughters?"2 — "Yes! we awoke. Let us go to the house!" They went to the house. 3. He said, "Let us move away by canoe, along the river." They said to him, "Yes! let us move away." Coyote said, "My eyes are See footnote 2, page 14, at the beginning of the seventh myth in the chapter of myths by Joe Hunt. 2 The name of the two milt daughters of Coyote is tq'inya'i, "Milt".

1

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sore. You will take me in the canoe, and I will just lie in it as we g o . " (2) He said, "Pull hard, my daughters! — How far are we now ?" he said. They said, " W e are a long distance away y e t . " He said, "Pull hard, my nice little girl wives!" They laughed, but they were angry. " H e speaks improperly, that (word) wives! Let us leave him." 4. Coyote became suddenly motionless. " H o w is it I . . . ?" He opened his eyes, and saw them running far yonder. He said, "Daughters! come back here!" But the girls continued running. Coyote returned again to his own home. The girls went on. 5. As they went along they saw an old woman taking care of a baby. The old woman was blind, she had no eyes. The two girls went to her, took that baby from her, stole it, ran away with the child. 6. Her daughter heard the old woman, " M y grandchild is a rotting piece of wood now!" 1 She saw they were already far away, running with the baby. The baby was Moon. 7. The old woman told her (daughter), "Pack me along! we will follow them." The woman took the old woman, and packed her along. They pretty nearly overtook them. "Oh, nuisance of an old woman, she is heavy. I will set her down, in order the better to run rapidly." (2) She put down the old woman. The woman ran after them, but they left her far, far behind. The old woman cried out, "Oh, pack me! you will never get them." (3) She returned, she again packed the old woman, she ran with her, she overtook them, they outran her again, she let down the old woman, for they had left them hopelessly behind. She packed the old woman, she carried her home. 8. They did not know how to get the child again. They asked everyone, "Couldn't you follow them ?" N o one could follow them. In a country at a distance it was Blue Jay who said, " I myself could follow them!" — "Very good indeed! You will pursue them." 9. Blue Jay went and followed. Blue Jay went on and came to a place there. A man saw him. "Oh, you rascal of a Blue Jay! What reason brings you here ?" — "Oh oh! you have done ill to me, you have ruined my eyes.2 (2) And I was only coming to you, to getyou. Your mother is weeping pitifully for younow." — "Oh, you poor, poor Blue Jay! Come here! Let me fix your eyes!" Blue Jay went, and he fixed his eyes. (3) All those pieces of flint rock were in his eyes. Blue Jay told him, " I came to get you." He replied to 1 2

The two girls had left a decaying piece of wood in place of the baby. Moon Boy threw pieces of flint at the stranger before he learned it was Blue Jay he was blinding.

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him, "Very well, I will go. Tell my people, they are to get five women for me, one from each country, in the five countries, one woman from each." (4) "Very well. I will tell them, they are to get them for you now. Because they do desire that you return home." Blue Jay went on, went homewards, reached home. He told them, "Oh, he is a man now. He desires five women, one from each country." — "Very well." They got five women for him. 10. Moon went away. He came down to a stream. He shouted, "Come across for me!" He did not shout in return. Five times. He replied, "All right. I'll come across to get you." Moon knew that he was a treacherous person, that he had killed many people and eaten them. (2) He went across towards him, he paddled over to him, he carried him back across. But intentionally just in the middle of the river, he tipped him into the water. Moon stood up in the water, and waded across. (3) He got to him, and he said to him, "Why did you put me into the water?" — "Oh, no indeed! that is the way this canoe is." — "But it is not well that it is so." Moon seized him, smashed him, killed him. He went on.1 11. Going along he heard crying and squealing. Moon went down to the river. Oh, people were standing in the river. He said, "What is happening with you ?" — (2) "Oh, nothing. The headman has been making a salmon trapof us." — "Who is the head man ?" — "He must never be named. He eats upon himself." — "No no! Name quickly who that head man i s ! " — "Oh dear! It is Buzzard." Moon waded across stream. (3) He got to him. Buzzard was eating on himself. He seized him, and he smashed him. He told the people, "Come out of the water! You are not to be in the river. (4) Make a different kind of fish trap!" They saw that he had killed Buzzard. Moon said, "Make a fish trap of wood!" Then indeed, Moon made a fish trap for them. From that time on the people caught many fish at that place. 12. Moon went away again. He went on to where he was going. They showed him, "Here are your five women." They prepared food for him, but he did not eat. He went away. He hunted, he killed many deer. (2) He arrived home, and he said, " I killed many deer. You will go fetch them." Many people got ready and went to fetch them. Deer lay scattered about, dead. There was not a shot (to be seen in the carcass). Five times (he did so). 13. Then Blue Jay followed him, he went to see how he did his killing. He saw young cedar bark painted red. He saw it. "Oh oh, so that is how he kills."2 (2) He made a fire and got five deer. 1 2

Moon is also a transformer in Hunt's myth seventeen, p. 40. When he shows red cedar bark to a deer it dies for him.

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He roasted them. He ate those five deer. "Oh, so that is the way he does. He just eats five deer." Blue Javre turned home. Hereported, " I saw how he kills, and I saw how much he eats." (3) Moon found out, " N o w they have seen me. now they have learned ahout me. I had better go far away." 14. Moon and his younger brother Sun went away. He said to Sun, " Y o u are to go at night." Sun did go at night. But oh, he killed many people. That was not good. (2) So Moon said to his younger brother Sun, " Y o u had better go in the daytime, while I myself, Moon, will go at night. You, Sun. will go in the daytime." So they went on. Sun went along very well in the daytime. And Moon at night, and it was well.

4. Cloud t a k e s C o u g a r ' s w i f e ; W i l d C a t and C o u g a r b o y pursue, k i l l C l o u d and his s i s t e r s , r e v i v e C o u g a r , w h o returns

with

his

wife.

His

daughter

becomes

Little

Cloud. 1 1. There was Wild Cat, there was his older brother Cougar. Wild Cat went and found a woman. The woman seized Wild Cat (threw him into the fire) and burned him. (2) Cougar came there, and said to him, " H o w did you happen to get burned ? " — "Oh,nothing! I just fell accidentally into the fire." — "Oh no! Tell me what happened to y o u ! " — " N o ! older brother! I fell accidentally into the fire." — (3) " N o no! Tell me at once what happened to y o u ! " Five times. He said (then). " Y e s ! I found a woman. I t is she who threw me into the fire. She had made a fire." — "Where is the w o m a n ? " — (4) "She is there yonder." Wild Cat took his older brother to there, to the woman's place. Cougar said, "Oh, why did you throw the poor fellow into the fire ? You seem to have hurt him. (5) Now come here! put medicine on h i m ! " The woman went, she put medicine on Wild Cat. Then Wild Cat got well. 2. The woman used to go dig wild prairie onions. Cougar said, " D o not go there into the middle of the prairie. There is a dangerous being at that place." The woman went away. (2) " I wonder why he says this, that I ought not go there to the middle. But I'll go now." The woman went. She dug wild onions, oh, lots of big fine ones. Oh, and there was strong sunshine. (3) She saw a cloud, a black cloud. She lay down. She had put her child on the cradle board at that place. She saw the black cloud, and she thought, "Oh 1

This myth probably was learned by Eyley Sr. from his Cowlitz Salish wife, Mary Eyley.

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dear, if only that cloud would go right here, so that I might the better become cool." (4) The cloud came right there, to the place she had been thinking about. The woman lay down, and she fell asleep, so it seems. It seems that Cloud came to her, seized the woman, and carried her above. (5) In the meantime the child remained on the cradle board there. She was gone. 3. He (Cougar) camped overnight. Early next morning he went on. He saw the child set upon the cradle board. "Indeed! the dangerous being did take my woman from me." (2) He took the child, brought it home. He searched for the woman, but could not find her. His father's sister told him, "The dangerous being took your woman from you, he carried your woman up above. (3) The dangerous being Cloud took her from you. I will tell you what to do to overtake your woman. You will go here and there on the prairie, and you will notice a long grass. You will stand there on top of the grass." 4. The man went home, and told his younger brother, " I am going to follow my woman. The dangerous being must have taken her from me, and so I am going in pursuit." He went and found the long grass. He stood upon it there. From it he took one stride high, high above. 5. The dangerous being discovered that Cougar was following the woman. The dangerous being Cloud went to meet Cougar. He killed Cougar there. 6. In the meantime only Wild Cat and Cougar boy were left. They traveled about in order to find how they two could go up above there. (2) That same person told them also, "Look for long grass! You must stand upon it there, and from it you will go up above in a single stride. There is a lake. There are two sisters of the dangerous being and that is where they go, they both go there, they go to get food, they dig sti'sti-ns roots. (3) You will hear them singing as they go about. You will watch the wind, and from there you will come to where the wind is blowing. (4) You will go to them unobserved, you will jump on them quickly, take them, and kill them. You will take all their clothes, and you will dress in them. That is how you will go. You will take those sti'sti-ns roots, you will go on again, and you will sing that very same way as you go about." 7. They watched when they had reached there. They saw, "They are coming in a canoe, and they are singing as they go." Wild Cat said to Cougar boy, "Listen to the singing over there! We will kill them shortly, and as we go along we will sing that very same way." 8. They landed on shore. The younger girl dug roots. She smelled them. "Oh! I smell Cougar and Wild Cat." — "Why, not at

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all! your older brother killed Cougar, and t h a t ' s all t h a t smells." The girl, the oldest sister, dug roots. 9. Wild Cat saw, "They have dug m a n y roots now. Let us kill t h e m ! " They leaped a t them, seized them, they killed the two girls. They took their clothes. They dressed, and were to all appearances exactly like t h e two girls. 10. They went by canoe. As they went along they sang. Cloud heard them. "Strange! They're a bit different." They came to the house, they brought in those roots and set them before him. "Aha! you have dug less." (2) "Oh dear! we are ill, so we did not dig many. Oh dear, we'll lie down now." They went to their beds, and t h e y lay down. 11. The wife told the Dangerous Person, "I'll go see them. The wife entered and went t o the girls' beds. Cougar son said to her, "Mother! we came to get you." The woman r a n about feeling exceedingly pleased. " I will go and watch them, t h e girls are ill, I'll stay there and watch t h e m . " (2) He said t o her, "All right. Go stay with t h e m ! " The woman went to where the two girls, Wild Cat and Cougar, were. Very well then. " H e snores loudly. T h a t is when we can set him afire, soon now." — "Very well." (3) I t was not long before they heard him. "He's snoring. Oh, he's dead asleep." H e awakened suddenly. "Oh, younger sisters, we are on fire! Oh dear. Confound the rascal! You must have set me on fire!" His belly burst. 12. " I know where Cougar is. Let us go to him." They went to where Cougar lay. They stepped over him several times. Cougar awoke, and was surprised when he saw Wild Cat and Cougar boy. Cougar was glad. "Ah fine! (2) W h a t did you do to the dangerous being, Cloud? W h a t sort of dangerous being was h e ? " — " H e was no dangerous being whatever. H e was merely a cloud, and we b u r n t him. He was only a cloud. H e was not a dangerous being. Let us go home now." Cougar and his son went away. Wild Cat went home with t h e woman. 13. The woman gave birth to a baby, Little Cloud. Cloud girl grew up. She was a very bad girl when she played. She would fight and t h e n leap upon someone, extract an eye, and swallow it. (2) Her mother told her, "If you play bad like t h a t again, I will whip you until you are just about dead." Cloud girl said to her mother, "I'll not play bad like t h a t again. I'll play good now." (3) She played, and again she extracted someone else's eyes. Her mother took her again, whipped her, and she cried. She danced as she cried, and they saw t h a t she cried and danced just as though she were above the ground. (4) Her mother asked her, "Are you

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going to play bad like that again ? then I '11 whip you to death!" — "Oh oh! I won't any more, mother! I won't play bad like that again, I'll be good now." 14. Again she played, once again she extracted an eye from someone. Again her mother whipped her. (2) Then she danced and cried and squealed with pain, high above the ground. " I won't play bad again, I'll be good now." Again she played, again she extracted an eye from someone, ate it, and swallowed it. (3) She had now swallowed four eyes. Her mother whipped her. She ascended high high above the ground now. They caught hold of her and took her down. " I won't fight now, I won't take out anyone's eye." (4) She played, and she fought, she extracted someone's eye, and she swallowed it. That was the fifth time. Her mother took her, and whipped and whipped and whipped her. (5) She went up into the air. They caught hold of her and she carried aloft the persons who were holding on. So they let go, and then she arose, a black cloud.

5. A n i m a l s and birds ascend to sky by arrow t h e r e B e a v e r s t e a l s t h e fire. 1

chain;

1. Everyone gathered together, Grizzly, Bear, Cougar (and all). They decided, "We will shoot up above, so that we may climb aloft, and then we will take their fire." — "Very well." (2) They got bow and arrow. Grizzly shot, but he did not shoot and hit the sky, it was close but too short. Again too, Bear shot, and he also did not shoot or hit the sky. (3) And again, Elk shot. All of those who were large birds and animals, they could not hit the sky at all, every one of those who were large birds and animals. 2. Then there were these small birds, t'si'Datat bird,2 (and) Wren. Now t'si'Datat bird shot and hit the sky. Wren shot, and his arrow hit in the nock (of the first arrow). (2) Then every small bird shot an arrow in the nock (of its predecessor). Close now (to earth). Then Grizzly shot an arrow, and Bear with another arrow (brought it) all the way down to the ground. 3. All the people climbed up, they went on their way to steal the fire above, they arrived up above there. They counciled, "How are we to do it, so as to get their fire ?" (2) Said Beaver, "Let me float down along the river to the fish trap. They will catch me there very soon, and they will take me out of the river. You will 1 2

Note the version by Hunt, myth one of Northwest Sahaptin Texts, 1, p. 175. This bird, t'si'Datat, was not translated. It is rather like a wren.

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know how long a time it will take them to skin me. Then you will come to them, but do not be too long." — "Very good!" 4. This Beaver floated down in the river, and as he was floating along he stuck in the fish trap. They saw, "A beaver is stuck in the water." They brought him to shore, they skinned him. (2) "Oh my! the beaver is from down below. How did a beaver get here from below?" They skinned him. Too long a time had elapsed, they had pretty nearly finished cutting him up. 5. Timber Rabbit said, "I'll go and see." Timber Rabbit went. He entered the house, and he saw, "Oh, why they are nearly through butchering him!" Timber Rabbit ran outside, but they almost seized him. Then all those persons from below became excited, and ran into the house. 6. They dropped Beaver. Beaver leaped into the fire wood, and inserted fire under his finger nails. Now they had obtained the fire. They took it away. The fire had gone out, all of it was taken from the place where it had been kept, there was no more fire, it had all gone out. 7. The people went down below again. There was no fire (above) any more. Beaver went, took out the fire from his nail, put it into the timber (here and there). They saw the fire from up above. It was smoking here and there in the woods. They poured water upon it to quench the fire. 8. Grizzly and Bear descended. They broke that arrow (chain) with their feet. 9. They saw Snake jump down there, (and so) Frog danced.1

6. C o y o t e p r e t e n d s to die, returns t o c o h a b i t w i t h his daughters. 2 1. There was Coyote. He had five daughters. Coyote became ill, and then he said, "Should I die, you will dispose of my body, not covering it." He became ill, and it was no long time before he died. (2) Before that he had told his daughters, "Should I send you a bad sign, you will understand it, it will be precisely as I make this arrow. (3) That is how you will understand it to be, when I send you that bad sign." They did bury him in that manner, not covering him. The daughters moved away and camped near a river. (4) He 1

When Snake had to jump it broke all its bones. That is why Frog danced for joy. Frog's rejoicing angered Snake, who swallowed Frog, and had been doing that to frogs ever since. 2 Probably a Cowlitz Salish myth Eyley Sr. heard his wife tell.

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had told them, " I have a friend at a distance. Should he arrive, you will treat him well, you will take care of him." — "Very well." 2. And sure enough, they heard across the river, "Come get me across, Sli'palpal I" 1 They called out to him, "He is no more. He died." He wept. The girls, Coyote's daughters, went across to get him. They brought him back across. (2) He said, "Who will light my pipe ? That one will be my wife." One of them caught a stick on fire and carried it to him. Out it went. Nothing doing. I t did not burn. (3) Another one of them caught a stick on fire and ran with the fire to him. I t also went out. Another one of them again did it. I t did not burn. The youngest, the fifth and last one of them, brought fire to him, and lit his pipe. (4) He smoked. "She is the one who will be my wife." He smoked. The woman took him to the house. So he became married. (5) He took another (sister) and then he had two wives. He took still another (sister) and then there were three wives. Again he took one, and there were four wives. And again he took one more, the five of them now. 3. He would go hunting, shooting cottontail rabbits. The people would go tosing. He would tell them (the sisters), "Say to them not to come too near! I t is better that they be further away, they annoy me." (2) The old woman2 would go outside and shout, "Oh, you are too near, you annoy the stranger." They would stay further away, indeed. (3) "Oh, that is no good! They are singing too loudly. They are making noise, let them go further away." The people became angry, and came closer. (4) They sang loudly as they came. The man got angry, and told them, "Oh, you are very mischievously annoying. You bother me, stay at a distance!" 4. Then they said, " I t is Coyote who is cohabiting with his own daughters!" Coyote got up, went outside, and ran away. At the same time the woman remained at the house. The woman, the mother of them, said, " I know the rascal. I t was Coyote himself." 7. C o y o t e t r a p s b u t r e l e a s e s t h e n o r t h west wind. 1. There was Coyote. He said, " I am going to set a trap." Coyote did indeed set the trap, but he did not catch anything. He asked his sisters, "Why is this so, that I do not catch the rascal, Wind ? Why do I not catch it here ?" — (2) "Why no! you are setting it on level ground, that is why you cannot catch it. Set it rather on the end of a hill, and then you will catch Wind, north west wind." (3) And so Coyote set the trap on the hill. The sun rose. The north 1 2

A nickname of Coyote. Perhaps the mother of the girls.

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west wind did not blow. He went along, he went to look, he saw, "Oh dear, oh dear! A dangerous being is standing there caught in my animal trap, and it has ears." (4) North West Wind was frightened and almost leaped a t him. H e said to it, "Goodness! my younger brother! Do not j u m p at me! I will release you again." Coyote did free it. (5) I t shouted into the air, and ever since t h e n there has been north west wind again. H a d he not untied it, there would never have been the north west wind, nor any wind at all. 8. G l u t t o n o u s S p e a r B o y p u r s u e s h i s s i s t e r , is s e n t home by River Man, escapes the pecking woman. 1. There was Spear Boy. He used to go salmon spearing, returning without a fish. His older sister heard, "Yes yes! Spear Boy speared a Chinook salmon, and he swallowed it whole." (2) The older sister thought, "Dear oh dear! they are laughing at m y younger brother. He never spears anything. I shall go a n d see what is really happening." The woman did indeed go. 2. She came in sight of the place. The people cried out, "Oh, Spear Boy speared a Chinook salmon again!" The older sister saw him. "My younger brother is pulling out a Chinook salmon, sure enough." (2) She watched him. He swallowed it whole, indeed. "Ah, the rascal! so it was really t h a t way! he did swallow it whole." The woman returned home. 3. When Spear Boy came home his older sister asked him, "Where is your Chinook salmon ? They called out t h a t you h a d speared a Chinook salmon." (2) " W h y no, m y older sister! They were only making f u n of me. I have a sore h a n d . " I t did appear wrapped up. Spear Boy was hiding the eggs of the Chinook salmon where he was bandaged. He would eat fern roots, and he would blow on it when eating. 4. The night passed, the sun rose. Spear Boy went away t o spear fish. The woman took her possessions, "packed" them, and went away. They were watching Spear Boy. "His older sister is leaving h i m . " — (2) "Ah, I speared a Chinook salmon! Older sister! Come back once again!" — "Oh, you rascal! swallow it whole!" His older sister left him. 5. She went along and came to where a house was standing. " I shall stay here tonight." I t was the house of Beaver. The woman, Spear Boy's older sister, stayed there t h a t night. (2) Spear Boy slept through the night, t h e sun rose, and he went on and followed his older sister. Evening came. The woman saw a man coming ashore f r o m a canoe. When he reached the shore he saw her.

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(3) "Ah, my woman! So you have indeed come!" — "Yes! I arrived here. I am traveling along, and I am just staying over night here on my way." — "My woman, go to the canoe! get some of the little old fish, and bring them ashore!" (4) The woman went, got down to the canoe, but there were no little old fish at all, there were only sticks piled up there in the canoe. (5) She went ashore again and said to him, "There are no little old fish at all in the canoe there." He took them out onto shore. "These are what I like to eat! you may eat these yourself." — (6) "Why dear me! I myself never never eat sticks." The woman remained through the night. When the sun rose she went away. 6. Along her route she saw a very tiny house. " I shall stay here tonight." She saw wee little trout hanging up. She sat down. After a while a man, (rather) a boy, came with a great many small trout. (2) He saw her. "So you have come, indeed, my woman! Are you not hungry ? You may eat this at once." He handed her one serving of little trout. " A h ! " (3) The woman felt very good about it. She took them quickly, put them into the fire, baked them in the ashes. The trout were done, and the woman ate them. "Oh, that was very good." She stayed over night. I t dawned. (4) The boy was already awake, early in the morning, he had run away and speared fish, and once again he brought back a great many trout, and again he gave them to the woman. (5) The woman again baked them in ashes and that was what she ate. She said to the boy, " I am traveling along indeed." So she spoke to the boy, (or) man. He was q'wa'tcx Bird.1 7. When dawn came Spear Boy went away, and followed his older sister. He arrived at Beaver's, and he also stayed there over night. When the sun rose he went on. At that very time his older sister went away from q'wa'tcx Bird's. Spear Boy himself reached that place in the evening. 8. The woman went on. Going along on her way she saw a house. " I shall stay here tonight." She saw rather larger trout hanging up to dry. The man came back with them. (2) He saw her, and he said to her, "So you have come, my woman!" — "Yes, I came. But I did not merely come here. I am traveling on, I am only remaining tonight." (3) He brought large trout ashore, and he gave her those trout. The woman was pleased. "Very good indeed. I am eating well now." (4) She slept there through the night. Early in the morning the man ran away, and once again he too brought back trout, quite large trout now. (5) Again the woman roasted them on sticks, and ate. "Oh, that was very good." She told the man, " I did not 1

Some river bird that lives on young trout and other tiny fish. 11

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come here, I am just traveling along, and on my way stayed over night." — "Oh, that is all right! Come here again!" — "Yes indeed!" 9. Spear Boy also reached there, and he himself stayed at that place overnight. Meantime, that very morning his older sister had gone on. 10. The woman went along. On her way she saw a house. She thought, "I shall stay over night at this place." She reached the house. "Oh, a great many large salmon trout and large white fish 1 are hanging there drying. I shall stay here overnight." (2) A man came carrying them. He saw her. "So you have come, my woman." The woman replied, "Yes, I have come. I am staying overnight on my way, I am traveling along indeed." (3) He said to her, "Go and fetch them! there are a great many salmon trout. You may roast and eat them." (4) The woman went to the river, she got down to the water. Heavens! there were a very great many salmon trout and white fish in the canoe. The woman carried them ashore, and she roasted them. Dear oh dear! they were very fine. She ate. (5) She stayed overnight there. The sun rose. Early in the morning the man ran away, again he speared fish, again he brought back a quantity of salmon trout. That woman roasted them, ate them. Oh, they were very good. She went away. 11. It was in the evening when Spear Boy also came to that place himself. He said to him, "Your older sister stayed here last night, and left only this morning." (2) Spear Boy himself remained overnight. He gave him many salmon trout, and he took and swallowed them whole. 12. His older sister went along, and came to Otter's place. There were five men there, and Fire was their mother. She (Spear Boy's sister) saw, "Goodness! there are a great many fish, Chinook salmon, hanging drying." (2) She saw one fine Chinook salmon hanging to dry. She thought, "Oh dear, I only wish I could eat that one!" Only a moment, and that very one dropped down. She got it, and hung it up there again. She had a pack of sti'sti-nc roots. (3) Those she took, and cooked in the ground oven. She thought, "I suppose my cooking is done now." She took it out of the ground oven. "Oh dear! it is all burnt up. (4) Ah, rascally thing! All my cooking must have burned." She beat at the fire, she poked and poked it "in the eyes." — "Ah, rascal of a thing! it burned all my cooking." 13. She saw a man coming ashore, holding Chinook salmon, five Chinook salmon. He came along holding them, he brought them inside, he threw them into the fire. (2) It seems the fire was the mother of them. Just then the woman happened to glance the 1

Perhaps grayling.

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other way, and right then she saw, Heavens! Chinook salmon piled up, butchered. (3) Fire made a noise. The woman reflected, "Why yes! those men are quite comical." (4) Apparently fire was their mother. But she did not see how it could be so. She did see Chinook salmon were roasting all around the fire. I t was that old woman Fire who was roasting them. (5) The man said to her, "Whichever one you prefer for your food, take that one down, and give it to my mother. She will cook it for you, and then you may eat it." (6) The man arose after saying it, and took one down. His mother had told him that that was the one she wished. (7) The man took that one, and threw it into the fire. It was only a short time when the woman saw that the fish was now well cooked. He placed it on a dish.1 The man said to her, "That is the one my mother cooked for you. Eat it now!" The woman took it and ate it. (8) The man said to her, " I myself never eat it cooked, I would rather eat it raw." The woman stayed overnight there at Otter man's. (9) It dawned. She told him, " I have not just come here. On the contrary, I am traveling on. I merely stayed overnight." After finishing the morning meal she went on. 14. Spear Boy himself also reached there in the evening. They told him, "Your older sister stayed here overnight, and this very morning she went away." Spear Boy told them, " I am following my older sister." (2) Spear Boy himself stayed there overnight. They roasted food for him, but he did not eat. " I eat only raw food, not roasted food." (3) They threw him five Chinook salmon. "Now, eat them! as much as you can eat!" Spear Boy took and swallowed one Chinook salmon whole, and then he swallowed all five Chinook salmon. 15. The woman had said, " I am just traveling along. On the way, I merely stayed here for the night, and I'll be going on again now." She went away. (2) She came to the place of the River Head Man. River Man was the head man, and had a great many fish. She reached the place of River Man. He said to her, "Oh indeed! it is well that you have come, my woman!" (3) The woman replied, " I certainly did come to you." The woman stayed there, she stayed overnight. Oh, there were a great many salmon and (other) fish for food. 16. Spear Boy stayed overnight at Otter's place. The sun rose. Early in the morning he swallowed five Chinook salmon, and then he said, " I am following my older sister." (2) "She stayed overnight here, and then went on to the River Man's place." — "Very well. I will be following my older sister." Spear Boy went on. 1

Translation in doubt. 11»

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17. He reached the place. His older sister was there. He went down to the water. Goodness! lots of fish! He stood in preparation for spearing them, (and then) he did spear fish, he speared them all day long, and then he swallowed them, he speared them and swallowed them all day long. (2) And all day long, day after day, he swallowed fish. That is what he was doing there. 18. His older sister began to feel very tired of him. She told him, "The head man does not want you, it is better if you go home, and take home all the fish, as many fish as there are, take home all of them." (2) His brother-in-law, River Man, made a little pack of them for him, with as many as there were of every kind of fish. (3) He told him, "Take good care of yourself en route. Do not get lost and go towards the place of the dangerous being. There is a dangerous being on the trail. (4) The trail to that place is a large one, so watch well constantly on the way. As you go along, when you see a small trail leading out this way towards the right, take that way, you may go there, that way you will arrive safely. (5) You will carry this pack, with all the fish, with you. Come now! Let me fasten a rock on the front of you. You may possibly get lost on your way, and reach the place of the dangerous being. (6) The dangerous being is a woman, and she might kill you, she might peck at you with her hair. If you get lost on your way and reach that place she will leap at you, but you must never turn. (7) This rock is on front of you for exactly that purpose, so that she will never peck at you, but she will peck at this rock. Never turn! and never flee! Face it steadily, and she will peck at the front of you. (8) She will kill you if you turn. If she pecks at you from the rear, that will kill you." — "Very well indeed." Spear Boy went away. 19. He reached there, and sure enough he did not find that little trail. He followed the large good trail, and came to that place. That woman, the dangerous being, was sitting there. (2) She was combing her hair. He stood there. She asked him, "Have you come to see me ?" He said, "No. It seems I have lost my way." — "I do not hear well," the woman said to him, "Come closer here, and tell it to me, because I do not hear well." (3) Spear Boy went up close. She leaped at him, and pecked at him with her hair. The woman squealed some. "Ana'nanana! it hurts me. Have you just been at the place of the River Man ?" (4) Once again she leaped at him, again she pecked at him, but Spear Boy never turned. Five times. Then the woman, the Dangerous Person, became ill. When she had pecked a great many times at the rock, she gave up. 20. Spear Boy ran along, he found that little trail, and that is where he went, he went towards home. He reached home. He

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untied and opened the pack with every sort of food and fish there in it. (2) Spear Boy lived well, with quantities of food and fish. His brother-in-law found out that he had been lost en route, but that she had not hurt him, and that then he had reached home. And now he remained at home. 9. Blue J a y ' s canoe is carried away, he lands on s l i p p e r y ice, s u r v i v e s the cold and smoky house, the hot s w e a t house, d e f e a t s the girl plunger, is shot, wins at pole climbing, passes beneath the rock shutter. 1 1. Many people dwelt there. They killed quantities of fish. They saw a big fish in the river. It came out on the beach. Blue Jay spoke. He said, "There is a big fish right at the shore of the stream." (2) He went to the water. "What can it be ? It is no fish, it must be something else, it ought to be shot." He shot all of one quiver at it. (3) And again another one with which he shot at it, and it was also all used up. He took another quiver with which he also shot at it, and it too was all used up. (4) Five quivers, all gone. He said, 'It may be better to do it by spearing." He took a long salmon pole spear, and speared it, but he could not pull it out of the water. (5) A number of men went down to the water, and they speared it. Then they got a scare, for it drew them away, and they could not get it out of the water at all. (6) Blue Jay said to his older brother, "Let go of it! it is drawing us away, it will be the death of us." (7) Many men made up a fully laden canoe, and they all tugged at it, but could not pull it ashore. They became unable to let go of that salmon pole, it held them tightly, and it drew them far far away. 2. Going along they heard, "His brother-in-law is carrying away Blue Jay." The people were told, "They are calling out to us, and they are saying, 'His brother-in-law is carrying away Blue Jay.' Ah, that rascal Blue Jay! You are not listening at all to what they are saying about us. (2) It is really a dangerous being that is carrying us away." They passed by five settlements, and at every one of them they were shouted at in that manner. 3. And then they came to a great body of water. The dangerous being landed and wished that they should be unable to reach shore, that it be slippery with ice, so that they could not take steps on it. (2) He commenced to sing a tamanwis (power) song, he who was 1

Compare the myth by Hunt in Northwest Sahaptin Texts, 1, p. 216.

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head man, Eagle, he himself began the tamanwis song. And he said, " I will get out of the canoe, and I will take a step on it. You will step after me, in the very same places." He sang, "Wi'lilams saya-'----, wi-'li-Iams saya-'---." 1 (3) He stepped out on it. all of them followed in the rear. The dangerous being, the one that had carried them away, saw it. "Goodness! they are getting to shore." 4. They came to where there was a large house. Outside of the place was a woman making a long rope. She said to them, " G o inside the house! you are cold, perhaps." (2) They went inside, but there was no fire at all, and it was cold. Blue J a y wept, "Oh dear, oh dear, I am cold. Oh dear, oh dear, I am cold." 2 (3) That dangerous being, his brother-in-law, said, "Come out into view! and make a fire!" — "Oh dear! oh dear! look! what is that thing 1 oh dear! it is all belly. What can it be ?" (4) He took a small piece of wood. That was what he took and split into tiny pieces. I t made a heap of a great many sticks, he set it afire, it made a great blaze. (5) The place became full of smoke. Blue J a y did not like that. "Dear, oh dear! it is suffocating me." They said to him, "No indeed! you yourself said they should build a fire, and so they did make a fire." (6) His older brother made a breathing place through to the outside for him. Then Blue J a y breathed through to the outside well enough. 5. After a while Blue J a y said, "Dear, oh dear! I am getting hungry! Dear, oh dear, it is too small! let it be cut cut cut cut cut to pieces!" Oh, a large pile of it was there! He boiled it. (2) They said to Blue J a y , "Look at i t ! " He took it out of the fire, he took it from the pot and put it on a dish, there was a great quantity of food. (3) Such a quantity could never be eaten up. Blue J a y ate and then he sounded as if ill. "Oh dear! I cannot eat any more. I t is too much. I'm full." (4) His older brother prepared a soft basket for him. His older brother fixed the soft basket on the front of him, and in it he put that food. (5) When it was all eaten, the older brother said to Blue Jay, " L e t us go outside." They went outside. The older brother took him there and untied that soft basket on him. He poured out that food. "All right." 6. The brother-in-law said to Blue Jay, "My brother-in-law and I are going to sweat." — "Very well." Blue J a y became angry. "He did not bring me such a distance in order to sweat. I did not come 1 2

In a high monotone. Weeping, and in monotone.

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to sweat." (2) They told Blue Jay, "What about it ? if you do not, he may kill us, he may eat us. He is a dangerous being. Now agree with him!" — "Very well then. Let us sweat." (3) Then all the people went to sweat. Blue Jay brought into the sweat house just as many people as the Dangerous Person brought into the sweat house. (4) The Dangerous Person said, "Pretty soon you will hear Blue Jay burst." After that they entered the sweat house. Blue Jay cried out and said, "Oh dear! I am burning." (5) His older brother said to him, "Don't do that!" He made a place for him to breathe through from the outside. Through that Blue Jay breathed from the outside, Blue Jay breathed from the outside very well. 7. The Dangerous Person poured a quantity of water on the hot rocks. When all the water of the Dangerous Person was gone, still Blue Jay had not burst. (2) After a while Eagle said to the dangerous being, " I s your water all gone ?" He replied, "Yes! mine is all gone." And meantime, Blue Jay had not yet burst. (3) The dangerous being said to Eagle, " D o you have some more water?" Eagle replied, "Yes, I have, I have water." He made a fine hole through to the outside for Blue Jay, so that he should not burst. (4) Eagle poured water on the hot rocks, and it boiled. Eagle said to the people of the dangerous being, " I f you burn, go outside away from the heat." (5) In a little while (one of them) burst Ba-'"w. The people of the dangerous being laughed. "Ha'ha'ha'ha', Blue Jay burst, no more Blue Jay, ha'ha'ha'ha', Blue Jay burst." (6) Soon after, Blue Jay emerged. " I , Blue Jay, am not afraid. I and my older brother have gone to many distant lands, and nothing could kill us. This is all just nothing! you could never kill us." 8. They said to Blue Jay, " Y o u go swim in the water now!" There was a relation of the Dangerous Person, she it was who played in the water, it made no difference for her to remain even a whole day under water. "Very well then." (2) The older brother said to Blue Jay, " I have placed a number of things in the water underneath the canoe. You may go to it there after a little while, and your nose may emerge at that place, the better lest they see you. (3) Then you will sink down again into the water, and you will go straight across under the water to the opposite side there. At that place I have likewise put sticks in the water, and there again your nose may come out. (4) Do not emerge (entirely), let just your nose alone come out of the water there." "All right." 9. His older brother had taught him all that he had to do. The bird of the Dangerous Person had already been in the water for some time. Blue Jay swam across to there. That bird of the

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Dangerous Person was a woman. (2) Blue Jay dived to the woman. Blue Jay said, "Be still, younger sister! you may sit still, while I will be going about here and there, I will be looking around at the land and water, while you just remain sitting quietly, because on your part you are familiar with it. (3) It is your home country, and you are acquainted with it. That is why you remain still, but at the same time I'll be going about."1 Blue Jay swam across to the other side. (4) He let his nose out of the water there, breathed, dived in again, and once more went to the other side. At that place in the water underneath the canoe, there he breathed again. 10. He always kept a club in his garments. It was that that he always had in his garments. He went by the woman. She sat there quietly. As he passed by he said to her, "Younger sister! sit there quietly, while I travel here and there, seeing the country." (2) Blue Jay became tired of it. "This is utterly useless nonsense! I might even be drowned. I will club the rascal of a girl on the head." Blue Jay went by, his club in his garments. (3) He passed very close by her, and there he struck the woman, the bird of the Dangerous Person, dead. She came to the surface far away in the middle of the sea. They saw her. "i-'-", Blue Jay came to the surface, he-'—!" (4) In a little while Blue Jay came out, swam over, and came ashore. "!•'••••, my older brother and I have been traveling far and wide, and nothing could kill us." (5) They rowed out there to the bird of the Dangerous Person, caught her, they brought her to land, but (she was) dead. They came ashore. 11. The Dangerous Person said to Eagle, "Let us have a shooting match. You will shoot at my boy, while I myself shoot at Blue Jay." "Very well. You shoot at Blue Jay." (2) And Eagle was to shoot at the boy of the Dangerous Person. The older brother said to Blue Jay, "Come! let us walk towards the woods." (3) The older brother took Blue Jay, and fastened a large flat rock on the front of him, from here to right here.2 Then they went. Blue Jay stood there. The older brother said, "Beady! Shoot at your brother-in-law!" (4) The brother-in-law shot at Blue Jay, Blue Jay fell dead. He said to the Dangerous Person, "Ready now! Where is your boy ? Stand him there! I will shoot now!" The Dangerous Person made his boy stand there. (5) Eagle shot the boy, his body was split apart, it lay there in halves. They cried out, "i-'—-, Blue Jay died, he was shot to death!" (6) Blue Jay lay there all day long. Then he arose. Blue Jay ran away, "i-'—, i '-i-'-i-'-i*', no one could ever shoot and kill my older brother and me!" 1 2

The last phrase in a quavering monotone chant. Mr. Eyley pointed out just where the rock covered him.

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12. The Dangerous Person said to the older brother, "My boy will climb a pole, a long cut and scraped pole." The older brother said to Blue Jay, "Leave that club! it might cause you to fall down." (2) "I am never without that club, with it I am a brave man." "Then there is no way I can assist you any more. You must do your best in your own way now." — "Oh,I will do my best." (3)Then the bird of the Dangerous Person climbed, and Blue Jay himself climbed, both of them fastened on, upon opposite sides of the pole. Blue Jay became tired. He looked down below. "Oh, they can still see me." (4) Then he looked down below. Not now any more! "They do not see me any more." He hopped around to the bird of the dangerous being. The bird of the dangerous being was named la'DlaD Bird. Blue Jay took out the club, he took it out and struck la'DlaD Bird. Wa--'p, la'DlaD Bird fell down below. (5) They saw it. "Blue Jay is falling now!" When it came close they saw it was la'DlaD Bird, not Blue Jay. They saw Blue Jay coming hopping down, shouting as he came, "I could never fall down, I am Blue Jay myself!" Blue Jay leaped down, cried out, jumped about. 13. The Dangerous Person thought he would kill him. "But nothing could ever kill me!" Blue Jay had beaten the Dangerous Person at everything. He said to him,' 'You have won at everything. Now you may go home." (2) That woman had finished making a large number of ropes. The Dangerous Person gave them many valuables, he gave Blue Jay every kind of thing, he gave him five blue jay blankets, he gave them many valuables of every kind, he gave them five paddles with which to row home. 14. A woman told them, she was Blue Jay's daughter, "Take good care of yourselves! The dangerous being has prepared for you a rock that rises and falls in the water. That thing might kill you. He has made as many as five of them for you in the water. (2) Take this rope along. If you are not killed, you will pass by all of them. Tear off a little piece of the Blue Jay clothes." They went. (3) The Dangerous Person, the brother-in-law, gave them five paddles and with them they could return home. Then they went. At that point the woman tied on that rope, while they carried half of it along. 15. They came to the place where that rock rose and fell. They passed it slowly, it rose and fell only a short distance. They saw there was another one of the very same kind. (2) They passed by it too. There were still three more. They came to another one now, it rose and fell rapidly. They reached the place. Eagle said, "You will watch, just as soon as it goes down into the water, then paddle

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h a r d . " (3) And indeed t h e y saw, it is down in the water now! They paddled hard, it went u p in the air, t h e y had already gone through, and it did not catch them. They went on. Going along t h e y saw again, t h a t one is another now! They came to it quickly. Eagle sang, "Wi'lilams saya-'----, wi'lilams saya-'—, wi'lilams saya-'--." (4) I t moved more slowly, and so t h e y passed by it too. I t did not catch them. I t was the fourth one. Only one more was left. They saw, "Oh, it's a really fast one, it goes just like this, 1 so rapidly, there is barely any way to pass by i t . " And there they were. (5) Eagle said, " I will sing five times. You note, if it becomes just a little slower after a while, and you watch for t h a t . And watch, when it has not yet gone into the water. Then I will tell you all in unison, for us all to begin paddling hard. (6) Right t h e n it will go into the water, and we will already have the canoe there. I t will rise, and then we shall pass through and beyond." (7) They saw, it is going up now! And then it went rapidly down into t h e water. Immediately he ordered, "Paddle hard now!" Sure enough it went up. They were already through and under it there. (8) Blue J a y was a brave captainl They got through. I t clipped only a piece from the head of Blue J a y . They had come through and out quite all right. 16. They took t h a t rope, t h e y took a piece of blue jay garment, and tied it on for her. They shook it, and the woman saw it. "They shook the rope. They must have gotten through." The woman pulled on the rope, the blue jay garment was fastened to it there. (2) The woman felt pleased at t h a t . " T h e y got through and out." The woman showed the Dangerous Person the little piece of blue jay garment. (3) She said, "Look! this is the blue jay garment of your brother-in-law. He went through and out." The Dangerous Person laughed. " H a ' h a ' h a ' h a ' , Blue J a y is a brave fellow." 17. They went along and t h e y reached home. They opened all the packs, there were quantities of valuable things. Their women at home had been crying, b u t now they were very happy. They distributed all the valuable things, and Blue J a y gave to everybody. B u t he never did give away his blue jay garments. 1

Mr. Eyley indicated, how rapidly it rises and falls.

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10. G r i z z l y w o m a n k i l l s B e a r w o m a n ; B e a r ' s d a u g h t e r s kill Grizzly's; Grizzly pursues; Bake-on-hot-rocks kills B e a r girls; y o u n g e s t B e a r girl is l o s t w i t h T e s t i c l e Ear P e n d a n t p e o p l e , is t a k e n by Chinook S a l m o n man, he is k i l l e d by her h u s b a n d and Meadow Lark. 1 1. There was Bow. He had two wives, one Grizzly, and the other Bear. The two of them would go to pick huckleberries. Grizzly would come back with bad and leafy pickings of huckleberries, Bear would bring back fine and clean pickings. It was the latter that Bow ate. 2. Grizzly said to Bear, "Look for my head lice! Head lice are eating on me. Look for my lice! There are numbers of them eating on me." Bear looked for Grizzly's head lice. (2) "You do not have any head lice." — "Well then, let me look for yours now." Grizzly looked for Bear's head lice. (3) She said, "Why, you have a great many head lice." She split and killed them, five times. Grizzly took Bear and twisted her neck around a little harder. They went home. 3. Bear said, "It looks as if she wants to kill me. When she looks for my head lice, she twists my head around too violently. It seems to me that she might suddenly take it into her head to kill me. (2) You will know, if I should be missing, that she killed me." And sure enough Bear did disappear. She did not return again from picking berries. (3) Bow said to his Bear children, "It seems to me that she must have killed your mother. She is missing." 4. Grizzly returned from picking berries, and her pickings were bad. The husband did not eat them any more, her pickings were worse than ever. 5. These children of Bear said to their younger sisters, "Let us play. We will wrestle with one another. Let us see how strong they really are." (2) The five of them played, they who were the children of Grizzly. And Bear also had five. Bear girl said to her younger sisters, "You will tackle them, to see how much strength they have. We may kill them all." (3) The Bears decided that the others were not strong. "Very well then. Let us kill them. Just as soon as Grizzly starts out to go to pick berries, we will go 1

Compare Hunt, myth 31, p. 79. Interpreter Eyley Jr. says he heard this myth told some years ago by a Klikitat shaman, Susan Hollingworth, the former wife of our Klikitat interpreter Joe Hunt. Eyley Jr. says he never heard the myth told by a lower Cowlitz Salish or upper Cowlitz Sahaptin speaking Indian, which would suggest that the myth may be a recent introduction from Klikitat.

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and wrestle with them. (4) If we all find out that we can defeat them, then we will suddenly kill them. When I speak to all of you together, then you will at once twist and break their heads (necks)." (5) Then they wrestled, to be sure. She said to her younger sisters, "All right now ?" The younger sisters replied, "All right!" (6) Immediately they all seized them, and twisted and broke their heads (necks). They killed all the five Grizzly girls together. They heated rocks, and roasted all those Grizzly children. 6. Then they went away. They had tied up a dog, and told the dog, "When she asks you where they went to, you must sit facing yonder direction, and she will run in that direction. (2) She will come back again, and again she will ask you, and again you (will indicate) another direction. She will ask you (again), and you will show her still a different direction." 7. She came back home, and she saw there were five roasts. She opened them, and saw, "Oh, my children seem to have killed good food." She ate all of them hurriedly, those five roasts. (2) When at the last of the roasts, she found (something) there in the food. Her youngest daughter had a little finger that was crooked. 8. She ran to Dog, she fought with him, she gave him a beating. She asked him, "Where did your masters go?" Dog sat facing yonder direction, and wa-' it howled. (2) Grizzly ran a long distance in that direction. She followed the tracks along the trail, but nothing had gone that way. She came back directly again, and once more she belabored the dog. (3) She asked it, "Which way did your masters go?" It sat facing yonder direction. In that direction too Grizzly ran. Five times. Then Dog cried and cried. And it showed her where they had gone. 9. Grizzly ran away, and followed the tracks. "Very good now! Here is really the way it goes." She followed them. 10. The Bears knew, "She is following us now." They wished that a great many strawberries ripen (there). Grizzly reached the place, and saw, heavens! a great many strawberries are ripe (here). She ate and picked them there. They left her along, long distance behind. 11. They wished once again for a great many huckleberries to be ripe. Again she arrived at that place, and again she ate and picked them. The Bears left her a good distance behind. 12. There again they wished for a great many elderberries to ripen. Then she realized, "They have left me far behind." 13. She cried out to her father, her father was Bake-on-hot-rocks. "The Bears killed all your grandchildren, and right now they are traveling to there yonder. Catch them, and kill them!" That old man was Bake-on-hot-rocks, the father of Grizzly.

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14. While going along the Bears noticed a house indeed, with smoke coming out of it. The oldest Bear said to her younger sisters, " I am going to cook white camas in hot ashes." (2) She went, indeed, to the house there. An old man was lying by the fireplace. The old man said to her, "What's the matter, grandchild ? Where are you from? What have you come for?" (3) She replied, "I want to cook white camas in hot ashes." — ' Oh all right, grandchild! Cook in the hot ashes then!" (4) The old man said to her, "Granddaughter! look for my head lice! I have a great many lice eating on me." Accordingly the girl sat down, and looked for the old man's head lice. (5) The old man seized her, and old man Bakeon-hot-rocks cast Bear girl into the fire. There he roasted Bear girl. He said to her, "That is how you will be bear in future. They will bake you on hot rocks." 15. Just the four Bears went along now. Going along they again saw a house, with smoke coming out of it. Another Bear said to her younger sisters, " I will go myself and cook white camas in ashes." (2) She ran to there, she came to old man Bake-on-hot rocks lying by the fire. He said to her, "What did you come for, grandchild ?" — (3) "Oh, I came to cook white camas in ashes." — "Oh, granddaughter! go cook! Look for my head lice! numbers of them are eating on me." She looked for his (lice). (4) Old Man Bake-on-hot-rocks seized her there, threw her into the fire, and baked her. He said to her, " I n that manner you are to be bear, they will bake you in future." 16. Only three of them went along now. While going on they again saw a house with smoke coming out of it. She said to her younger sisters, " I will go bake white camas." The girl ran to the house. She reached the old man lying beside the fire. (2) He asked her, "Why have you come, granddaughter?" — " I came to bake white camas." He replied, "Well then, bake them!" She baked. He said to her, "Granddaughter! look for my head lice! A great many of them are eating on me." (3) He killed her, and baked her. He said to her, "That is how you will be bear in future. They will bake you." 17. There was only one more of them.' She ran on, going along she saw a house, with smoke coming out of it. She thought, " I certainly will not go to that rascally Bake-on-hot-rocks Person." The girl went on, she ran along. 18. While going along she saw a deer running. I t passed by her and ran on. And on her way she saw a man running towards her. The man ran to meet her, and said to her. "Did you notice if my 1 The fourth sister meets the same fate as the first three, of course.

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deer was running along just now?" (2) She replied, "Yes! I saw it running near here just a short time ago." He told her, " G o in the direction of my house, my woman! Do not get lost! do not go in the direction of the dangerous beings! Near here you will see a trail in this direction. (3) The road forks. This is the one towards my place, while on the other hand there is a considerable trail towards the place of the dangerous beings. (4) The dangerous beings are named Testicle Ear Pendant (people)." Bear girl said, "All right. I have been seeking you yourself, and now you will be my husband." The woman ran on. 19. As she went along she saw a man approaching. He said to her, "Where are you going?" — " I am going in yonder direction." — "Come! I will take you home." The man took her along, and took her to that place. (2) The sisters of the man were all Testicle Ear Pendant (people). Bear girl realized, "Now I did lose my way, and I have come here to the place of the dangerous Testicle Ear Pendant (people)." They seized the girl, they put on her ears those testicles of human beings. 20. There arrived home that man, the one who had first encountered her and who had told her, " D o not get lost on the way to the place of the dangerous beings." (2) He was the one who arrived home. He asked his younger sisters, "Did your sister-in-law reach here ?" They replied, "Why no! she did not arrive." — (3) "Oh indeed! She must have lost her way. She must have gone to the place of the Testicle Ear Pendant (people). Go quickly and get her!" 21. His younger sisters ran to get her. They arrived at where she was. She was seated there, her ears already hung with testicles of human beings. They went and spoke to no one. (2) They went directly in to her, took the woman, removed those ear pendants from her, put their own valuables on her, put ear pendants on her. Those Dangerous Beings merely looked on. They took her, brought her along, brought her back home. 22. Oh, that was very very good. The woman, Bear girl, was happy. He himself found a fine house for her, and there she stayed. 23. They would go away to fish trout. Bear woman caught a large Chinook salmon on the line. I t became a person at once. He said to her, "This is not a good house. Go to mine. I have a fine house." (2) He took the woman. Chinook Salmon Man took her, he carried her to his home. 24. Her husband learned, "The dangerous Chinook Salmon has taken my wife from me. And there is nothing I can do about it." The man went about here and there, and Meadow Lark said to him, " I know how you may do it to him, to get back your wife again.

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(2) The dangerous Chinook Salmon goes about, and he becomes thirsty. That yonder is his water. When he reaches it, he always takes a drink there. (3) You must wish that water (to go) further down in the hole. I will help you, I myself, Meadow Lark, I'll help." 25. The man went on, and Meadow Lark (too). He wished the water hole (to be) further deep down. There the man hid himself, holding a long two-pronged pole. The man saw him coming on a run. (2) He reached the place. Suddenly he noticed, "How is it that my water appears different?" He was fearful, he did not want to drink it. Meadow Lark sang, saying, "You want to drink. Drink!" 1 (3) A number of times the man hesitated about doing it. He did not want to drink it. Meadow Lark was keeping up her song. Then he got down on all fours to the water, he drank, that water became somehow lower and lower and lower, and he became the more desirous to drink it. (4) Meadow Lark called out to the man, "Hurry and bring the forked pole! Poke him into the water!" (5) The man ran holding the long forked pole, he speared him, with it he poked him into the water, the man plunged into the water, and died. Meadow Lark and he had killed the dangerous Chinook Salmon. 26. The man went on at once towards that house. There this woman of his was sitting. She said to him, "The dangerous being took me away, you must leave me quickly again, he might eat you, and he might eat me also." (2) The man said to his wife, "You thought I could not kill the dangerous being. I did kill him. I poked him into the water. (3) I have come to take you, so that you may go home again." She asked him, "Is this really so?" He replied, "Yes, really. I really did kill him." — "Very well. Then we will go back home again." 11. Old man R a v e n c a r r i e s a p e r s o n t o a f a r away land to find his wife. 1. There was an old man, raven. He had caught a salmon, it tugged him around, it almost threw him into the water. His grandson found him, "Oh, poor old man! The salmon is pulling him into the water." (2) He went to him, and said to him, "What is happening to you, grandfather ?" — "Oh, the salmon is getting the better of me." — (3) "Oh, grandfather! — I will get so many salmon for you, as many as you wish." Old man raven was very pleased. 1

Chanted in monotone and repeated three or four times.

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(4) The man went, he got a number of salmon, he gave them to his grandfather old man raven. Oh, raven was very pleased. Another day, he again caught a number of salmon for the old man. The old man was very pleased about it. 2. The man's wife was gone, he did not know where she had gone to. He told old m a n r a v e n , ' 'My wife is gone.'' (Raven) told him, " I know where they took your wife. I could t a k e you speedily, if you would provide me with food on the way. I will load you on top of myself, and I will take you to the place, to t h e very place where your wife is right now." (2) He said to the old man, "Very well then." — " I will t a k e you." The m a n went hunting here a n d there, he shot and killed considerable f a t t y meat, and then he said t o the old man, "All right. I have obtained food for you to eat on the w a y . " — " V e r y well, grandson. I will t a k e you now." 3. The old man loaded him on, on top of his feathers, he flew up in the air with him, he carried him away high above t h e water. He spoke to him in this manner, "When I become hungry, I will descend close to the water, I will speak to you, then you will p u t food into me, and I will go high up into the air again. (2) When I become hungry again, t h e n I will descend to near the water, you will again feed me, and as consequence I will go high up again." He replied to him, "Very well." 4. Grandfather carried the man away. Raven did become hungry, indeed. He went down close to the water, he fed him, he ascended again, he carried him on again. I n evening they had reached a distant land, they stayed there over night. (2) When the sun rose, he carried him away again, in the morning. Before going he had given him food, and not until approaching evening did he once again descend, he had become hungry. (3) They just stayed over night on their journey. When the sun rose, they went on again, before going he gave him his food, he took him along until midday, when he descended again, he was hungry. (4) His grandson fed him food, t h e y went up in the air again, on until evening, again he became hungry, he served him food there, b u t t h e y descended there, they stayed there overnight once again. (5) When the sun rose they went on again, the grandson fed him food in the morning before starting, he ate it and then they went, he packed his grandson, he carried him away. (6) At midday he became hungry, he descended close to t h e water, again he fed him, again he ascended, again he went on. When it was evening he descended again, they camped overnight at t h a t place. (7) W i t h dawn, they went on again. He fed his grandfather food before going, again he carried him onwards. They camped overnight.

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5. When the sun rose, he said to him, "This very day, my grandson, we shall reach the place where your womanis." — "Yes indeed." He gave him his morning meal, once again he loaded his grandson on top of his feathers, he carried him on. (2) There was only very little food now, only food for once more, and then all the food would be gone. (3) Again indeed at midday raven became hungry, his grandson put food in for him, but that was the last of the food. They went on until evening and then they arrived at that place. 6. There raven took his grandson to land from the water, and he spoke to him as follows, "Grandson. Go! go to land! You must remain in hiding, no one must see you." — (2) "Very well." The man went ashore, he went into hiding, he hid himself there. His wife came down to the water, she saw, "How is it that raven is here, from another country, how is it that he came to this country?" (3) The woman said to him, "Well, well! raven. How did you happen tocomehere ? for what purpose ?" — "Ohno. I brought my grandson, he followed you, and we will take you back home again. Do not speak about it to anyone." — (4) "Very well." — "After a while when you come back again, you will see that your husband is here, but that he is hidden, he hid himself. (5) I will tell him, that when you come again, you will see your husband. He will tell you then, what you are to do." — "Very well." The woman went up to the land, she told no one that raven was here from another country. 7. After a while she ran away, she went to fetch water again. Then she saw her husband. He said to her, "My grandfather raven and I came to get you. You must obtain a great deal of food, enough for five days, and on the way you are to feed it to him." — (2) "Very well. I will put the food together, though I should like to find out just how much of it will be eaten on the way during a single day." — "Well, then." The man went away again, and hid himself. 8. They noticed raven. "How does this raven happen to be sitting at the water's edge here now, from another country. For what purpose have you come here, old man raven, to this country V — (2) "Oh no. I have been traveling because of hunger, to any place where they would give me some morsel of food to eat, my grandchildren ! I would eat it! That is why I have been going about." — (3) "Oh! old man! grandfather! When they see you, they will give you a morsel of food!" — "Oh t h a t i s g o o d ! mymasters! If you will give me a little food, I will devour it, and I will go away and creep back home." — (4) "Well then. I will inform them. When they come to see you later you will speak to them so that they will give you a little food, poor poor old man, grandfather." (5) "Oh, it will be 12

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good, my masters, if you indeed take pity on me, with just a mere mouthful of food." 9. They ran away, they informed them, that "Old man raven came, and wants you to take pity on him, and give him a little food.'' — "Oh dear! Hurry! They say the old man, our grandfather, has come. Hurry, let us go give him a little food!" (2) They did obtain food, they went to give it to old man raven, they reached him, they brought the food to raven. Oh, old man raven was quite pleased. He took it, he ate it. Oh, old man raven was well satisfied about it. 10. When they left him then, his grandson came to him, and said to him, "How are you now, grandfather?"— " I am all right. Pretty soon your wife will come to the water. (2) I told her to gather food enough for five days, to eat on the way, and that then I would carry you away. She said to me, 'Very well! I will gather food.' She ought to be down to the water in no long time now, grandson. (3) Then we will find out what we have to do later. Stay hidden there now! Pretty soon I will tell you, when your wife appears." — (4) "Very well." The man went into hiding again. The woman, indeed, arrived. She said to raven, " I obtained food that should be enough for five days, to eat on the way." — "Very well." (5) Then he informed his grandson, "Come now! your woman came here now, she believes she has taken food enough for five days." The man went and his wife saw him. Oh, and the woman desired her husband very much then, when she saw him. (6) The woman said to her husband, " I think I have taken enough food for five days." — "What food are you taking?" Then, " I have taken dry fish." Raven said, "Oh! it's just about enough and it's good, that dry fish. You may eat that on the way." — "All right." 11. The woman carried that food out of sight, she took it to the water, to grandfather raven. " I t will soon be evening. Shortly after dusk you will come down to the water, and then I will carry you away." — (2) "All right, grandfather." In the evening dusk the woman did indeed go down to the water, she went to fetch water (ostensibly). Here grandfather raven placed them on his feathers, he carried them away again, that was when he took them back towards home. (3) He became hungry in the same manner again, he fell down below, they fed raven dry fish, with it he ascended again, he went on high high up again. (4) I t was precisely like that that he took them away, he again carried them towards home. 12. In the very same manner again the food was all gone on the fifth day, it was just less than the fifth day. Raven came down to the water, he said to his two grandchildren, "Oh, my grandchildren, I will swim over, I will take you to shore. We'll reach

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shore soon." — (2) "Very well," the man said to him. He told his grandfather raven, "Oh, I shall feel exceedingly good about it, grandfather, if you take me back." — (3) "All right." He alighted on the water, raven swam over, he swam to land, the man and his wife came ashore. They were pleased with him. 13. The man had a quantity of dry fish at his house, and he had a quantity of dry fatty meat. He was very glad. They made a pile of it for him. (2) "Old man, grandfather! eat it as fast as you can eat!" Oh, raven sat down, and he did eat as rapidly as he could eat. Raven was very pleased about it. (3) The man said to raven, "Grandfather! whenever I obtain fish, I will always take it to the shore for you." — "Oh, that is good, grandson! Then that is how you will take care of me. So then I will be taken care of, with so much of your8 will you take care of me, and I will depend on it, my grandson! You will indeed be providing me with food as you go about." (4) Then, "Yes indeed! because I am very much pleased, that you brought back again my wife. Now I am fine in my house, once again with my wife. That is why I will take care of you just as well as I can." 14. That indeed is how he took care of him. From then until now he has taken care of old man raven in that manner. Indeed, the man catches a quantity of every kind of fish, he brings them to shore, there raven finds them, that is what he eats. (2) From that time until the present time he has been satisfied with it. You could watch raven and see what his food is, it is merely what has died of old age, it has drifted to land, it is just as if that food were thrown there for him. (3) But it is only old and dead, it has lodged there while floating, it has drifted ashore, there raven finds it, and that is what your grandfather raven eats.

12*

COWLITZ

MYTHS

Told in upper Cowlitz by Mrs. Mary Eyley Mrs. Eyley (kiya'itani) is the wife of the Yakima informant Sam Eyley Sr., and. the mother of the upper Cowlitz (ta'iDnapam) speaking interpreter Sam N . Eyley Jr. Dr. Thelma Adamson has spent a number of weeks (1926, 1927) with Mrs. Eyley and her sister Sophie Smith securing myths and ethnologic data that are still unpublished. The myths of this chapter were recorded largely to satisfy linguistic curiosity; being Salish and coastal they are from a non-linguistic viewpoint alien to this volume. Mrs. Eyley speaks upper Cowlitz almost correctly, if not perfectly or olcgantly; to a. native ear there may be a slight accent, and there may be occasionally indiscriminating dialect infection from Yakima and Klikitat sources; her native language is the Cowlitz dialect of Coast Salish. Mrs. Eyley mentally translated from Cowlitz Salish to upper Cowlitz Sahaptin, of course, in this work. The interpreter was Sam N . Eyley Jr.

1. N a h a ' n t c i .

H i s g r a n d s o n and C o y o t e ' s sons s t e a l the rainbow.1

1. Coyote and Naha'ntci lived there. Naha'ntci had one grandchild. Coyote had five sons, pa'tawaswai was a son of Coyote. (2) Little pa'tawaswai son went to sa'lk, another son went tokulu'ln (Jackson Prairie), another son went to nawa'qum (Newaukum Prairie, Forest, Washington), another son went to q'wa'ya, another son went to waxa'lat. (3) All five sons of Coyote found guardian spirit powers. The grandson of Naha'ntci went away, he went to bathe in lapa'tam (a creek, near Newaukum Prairie). Naha'ntci's grandson walked with legs wide apart. 2. They went away, they went to steal a valuable thing from across the river, they went to steal the precious hoop thing (the rainbow). They hid Naha'ntci (his grandson) at the first mountain, there they left Naha'ntci. (2) A t the next mountain they left one of Coyote's sons. There at the next mountain they left another son of Coyote. There at the next mountain they again left a son of Coyote. (3) There at the next mountain another son of Coyote. And the one (pa'tawaswai) who was the oldest of them went away, he went to steal the hoop (rainbow). 1

Mrs. Eyley heard this story told by her Cowlitz Salish father. The name of the story is Naha'ntci. Another name for Naha'ntci is t'apitVpi, which is probably a Salish name.

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3. Then Coyote's son pa'tawaswai took it, and carried it away. They pursued him, they overtook him, he hurled it to his younger brother, his younger brother caught it, they killed pa'tawaswai there, pa'tawaswai died. (2) pa'xla was the next one to take it, he took it, they caught up to pa'xla, he gave it to another younger brother, pa'swiyatkas, who snatched it and took it away. (3) There they killed pa'xla. pa'swiyatkas took it along, they overtook pa'swiyatkas, he threw it, pa'tcikwn seized it, took it, and carried it along. They killed pa'tcikwn. They killed him, when he threw it, they had caught u p to pa'tcikwn. (4) patawaswa'ipatawaswai caught it, they overtook patawaswa'ipatawaswai, he threw it, Naha'ntci (his grandson) caught it. They killed patawaswa'ipatawaswai. 4. He took it along. Naha'ntci (his grandson) was bowlegged. They followed Naha'ntci, then Naha'ntci spanked himself as he went along, and then he went on no longer bow legged. They pursued him, b u t they did not overtake him. He came out a t na'wq (Cowlitz Prairie). 5. Coyote heard him. Coyote said, "My son is making the noise coming, my son is coming bringing a precious thing." Old man Naha'ntci went outside, he heard it. " B u t it is, on the contrary, my son making a noise coming." (2) "Oh no," (said) Coyote, " I t is my son making the sound. Now you will find out, Naha'ntci. (3) I will urinate on you, and you likewise will urinate on me. Whoever becomes yellow, he is childless." They went, Coyote and Naha'ntci urinated on one another, and Coyote became yellow. 6. Naha'ntci went inside into the house, he had taken a rock, he laid the rock down for Coyote directly behind his sitting place. Old Man Naha'ntci went and waited for his grandson, he could be heard coming very near now. (2) H e came in. Then when Coyote heard the sound of Naha'ntci's grandson coming, he went in, sat down, and wept. H e fell back with his head onto that rock and died. 7. Naha'ntci reached his grandfather, and they went away towards the place where the sun rises. I t rained there, it stopped raining, Naha'ntci raised the hoop (rainbow) immediately. The people saw the hoop from one end to the other end. 2. I n r a c e s C o y o t e l o s e s , F o x wins. 1 1. Coyote and Fox came to people. They were asked, " W h a t would you have to eat ?" Coyote said, " I shall smoke." They gave him tobacco. Coyote had a pipe, Coyote smoked. " W h a t sort of 1

Other versions: Hunt, myth 34 (p. 97); Eyley Jr., myth 6 (p. 112); Northwest Sahaptin Texts, 1, p. 232.

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thing indeed are you seeking ?" — (2) "My younger brother and I are not seeking any particular thing, we are seeking a foot race, and to kill (the loser). That is what my brother and I seek." — "Very well indeed! you may run, you, Coyote and Wolf." 2. Coyote and Wolf ran, he beat Coyote in the race, they cut off the head of Coyote. 3. "Now you may run, Fox and Magpie!" They ran over five mountains. Fox reached the summit, Magpie was (already) across (on the second mountain) starting up the side. (2) He ran, he attained the summit of another mountain, and saw Magpie (already) ascending half way up there. He ran on, a long way, and then he surmounted another mountain, magpie was (already) starting up (another). (3) He ran, a long way, he reached the summit of another mountain, he ran on, he descended, half way down on the fifth mountain he met magpie. Magpie had gone back again now. (4) He ran on. It was because he (Magpie) had a good guide to the place where they finished. He ran more speedily, he ran on, he reached there and the watcher saw him, said to him, "Magpie ran by some time ago, and turned back again. You are behind." (5) He ran on, Fox turned back, he ran on, he went down hill, he went up hill, he came out on top, he saw magpie just starting up hill on the opposite side. (6) He ran on, he reached the top, he saw him, far far away, magpie went down hill, he saw, magpie had just attained the summit. (7) He followed, he went more energetically, "Now I'll overtake magpie." Fox ran on, he ran energetically, he reached the summit, he saw magpie again starting up yonder. (8) He increased his efforts, went downhill, went uphill, reached the summit, and saw, "Now he is half way along on the level, going towards the people. I'll catch up to him now." (9) He passed the poor fellow, he ran on, leaped by him, overtook him, right close to the people he passed magpie, Fox came ahead to the people. He cried out joyously, but the people did not cry out. He turned back, he killed magpie. 4. He came back, he came here where Coyote lay dead. He joined his head back on him, he stepped over him several times, and Coyote sat up, "Hurrah! hurrah!" he said, "That is precisely what I had been forgetting, I was going to win over him, and kill him." 5. Then they went away. They killed all the people1, but they just asked some of them for their valuables. They gave them a great many fine things. Fox carried them away, some of them Coyote packed. He went eastward towards the sunrise. 6. He went on and as he went he sang, "This will be for procuring a wife, for the (first) gift exchange. This will be for siblings-in-law, 1

The meaning is: some of the people.

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for their gift exchange. This will be for nieces. This will be for the deceased wife's relatives. This will be for illicit loves." 7. As he went on he encountered some children who were idle. "Where is your mother ?" They did not reply at all. "What is the name of your mother?" They replied, "The person who gives sudden scares," five times. (2) Again they said to him, "The person who gives sudden scares." "Well maybe that person might scare me, but I wonder." (3) He picked up the children, he put them into his shirt bosom. Coyote went on, the trail went along the river bank. Coyote was journeying along there, grouse was apparently sitting there, it suddenly arose at him l a ' B a B B B B , and the grouse flew away. (4) Coyote was terrified, he fell backwards, he fell senseless on the river bank. The grouse came, it took away all the children, and there Coyote slept. 8. Frost Person was going along spearing, as he went along he saw him, "How is it that Coyote himself is asleep?" He took his pack from him, Frost Person took away the pack. Coyote revived, the pack was gone. 9. pina-'sutamat'lx u t'lx u nkalawainanu-'nasapala'itaskulqanmi'. 1 3. F l y i n g s q u i r r e l . He devours o v e r n i g h t campers. 2 1. There were five men, they had just one younger sister. The oldest went away and hunted. The bird (brother) came out into an open place, "Oh it is a fine prairie! Oh there are many trails of deer, fresh tracks of them, fresh tracks of them." (2) He went here, he went there, on the prairie. Clouds came up from every direction, it became dark, he could not see the sun, or where he had come from on the prairie. (3) And then it rained, he became wet, he went everywhere, he went here and there, when evening came he was unable to go about any more, he became tired as he went about. (4) From the woods he heard calling to him, "Come in this direction, grandson! it is dry here." He went away. "A dangerous being is calling to me." — (5) "There is no dangerous being at all! It is I, grandson, calling to you. Come this way! it is dry here." He went, he reached there, it was quite dry beneath the cedars. (6) Dry wood was standing there, he pushed it, it broke into many pieces, he picked them up, made a fire, dried himself, when he was dry he lay down near the fire, he heard, "la'kplakp." (7) He 1

2

Note the stereotyped sentence at the end of myths 2, 3 and 4 in this chapter; the interpreter was unable to translate it. Other versions: Hunt, myth 19, p. 43 (1928); Hunt (1926), in Northwest Sahaptin Texts, 1, p. 204.

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heard it asking him, "watci-'"x l l tci -x u ." 1 I t said to him, " q a ' winactpan," 1 it said to him. He said, " N o ! I am not asleep y e t . " Five times, and then it came down to him, and flying squirrel ate him up. 2. The girl was making cat-tail mats, all day long she labored at making them. 2 Another one of her older brothers went hunting. In the same way he came out on the prairie. "Oh what a fine prairie, with many deer tracks on i t . " (2) He went here and there, all day long he went about, but he saw no deer. Clouds came up, the clouds gathered from every direction, it rained, the man became wet, oh, he did become cold, evening came, it was dark, he heard, "Come this way, grandson! it is dry here." — (3) "Dear me, it is the sound of a dangerous b e i n g . " — "There is no dangerous being, grandson! it is dry here." The man went, he reached there, oh, a large dry log stood there, he shoved it aside, it broke into pieces, he picked them up, he made a fire, he dried himself, when he was dry he lay down near the fire, he heard, "la'kpte'kpla'kp." (4) He heard it coming down towards him, it asked him, " w a ' t c i - " X u tci---x u qa'winactpa'n." He said, " I am not asleep y e t . " (5) Again it came down towards him, "watci-'---x u tci----x u qa'winactpa'n." " I am not asleep y e t . " Five times, and then he fell asleep. I t came down to him, it ate him up. 3. When the sun rose another brother went. All day long the girl was making cat-tail mats. The bird (brother) went out into the open place, oh, what a fine prairie, with many deer trails on it. (2) But he found no deer at all. Clouds came, clouds gathered above, it rained, he became wet, he became cold, evening came, he heard, "This way, grandson!" — " O h ! a dangerous being is calling to me." (3) "There is no dangerous being at all, grandson! Come in this direction! it is quite dry here." He went, he reached there, it was perfectly dry. A dry log stood there, he shoved it away, it broke into many pieces, he picked them up, he made a fire, he dried himself, when he became dry he lay down near the fire, he heard, "ta'kpla'kpta'kp." (4) I t said to him, " w a t c i - ' " x u t c i " - x u qa'winactpa'n," five times, it clambered down towards him, when he had fallen asleep, it came down to him, it ate him up. 4. The night went by, no man (returned). All day through the girl manufactured cat-tail mats. All her older brothers were gone, 1

2

It is asking him in these Cowlitz Salish words, "Are you asleep yet ?" The dangerous being is flying squirrel, in Cowlitz, lali-'k'pc, and in ta'icnapam Sahaptin, la'nlan. laxaBli' is a kind of mat used on summer house walls and for other domestic purposes. It is made of ct'ci'u, "cat-tail".

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there were no spreads. The last of her older brothers went away. The man went close to there. He scared away pheasants, he shot at them. (2) He went on, he stepped on meadow lark's (leg), and broke her leg. "Ouch, ouch, ouch! I t could not have been I who murdered the brothers, it is a dangerous being who has been eating them up!" — (3) "Oh, my father's sister! I will make a leg from a long twig for you." Then he made a leg for her from a long twig. (4) "Oh nephew! A dangerous being has been devouring your older brothers. You should go away, you will come out at a prairie, it will rain, you will become wet, you will lose your way. (5) When it becomes dark, you will hear it call to you, it will say to you, 'Come this way, grandson!' You will go there, you will see a dry log, you will make a fire of it, he will call to you, but you should not reply at all, you should make a person (an effigy of one) lie there." 5. And so he did go away, he came out on the prairie, he went here and there, evening came upon him, darkness came upon him, he was thoroughly wet (from rain), he heard, "Come this way, grandson!" (2) He went, he reached there, oh, a dry log stood there, he pushed it, it broke into pieces, he made a fire, he dried himself and the things he was wearing. (3) He brought a piece of rotten wood as big as himself, he dressed it in the garments, he laid it there, he went away and hid, he held a bow in hand, he kept watch as he lay there. (4) He saw it clambering down, "watci-'-xtci-'-x 11 qa'winactpa'n." He did not reply at all. "He is asleep now!" (5) The dangerous flying squirrel came down to that place there, it came to it, he shot it from his hiding place, flying squirrel fell, he jumped to it, he clubbed it with a stick, he beat it to pulp, till it was thoroughly mashed. (6) Little flying squirrels dashed away. "That is how you are to be. You shall no longer eat persons, you will only know about persons who are about to die, that is when you will show yourselves. (7) You are not to eat persons, no!" He lay down there when he had clubbed Flying Squirrel to death. 6. When the sun rose he looked for his older brothers, he found the bones of all five of them, he stepped back and forth over them, and all five men came to life. They went home. (2) The girl had prepared beds for her older brothers, she had spread all the cat-tail mats for them all. They arrived, all the brothers arrived, all the beds of the brothers had spreads, and they all continued to dwell there. 7. pina-'- sutamat'lx w a't'lx w na alawainanu-'na sapala'itas kulqanmi'.

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8. Springtime is commencing, the strawberries and salmonberries are beginning to ripen, I eat them as I go by. The humming birds are beginning to fly about, they pass me by again and again, whiz! whiz! whiz! 1 4. F l e a .

H e is a c a n n i b a l . 2

1. There was Flea. Flea would go away, find persons, seize them, take them home, and eat them. On his way he saw a daughter of a chief. "Oh! the girl is a fine woman, the chief's daughter! I could have her for my wife." (2) He looked upon her with favor. He stayed around there, and when he saw that she had gone outside alone, he seized her there, he stole her, he took her home, and that chief's daughter became his wife, he did not eat her, she became his wife. 2. They continued to live there, the woman on one side, Flea on the other side. Flea would bring home deer, but Flea did not eat deer, only the woman ate it. (2) Flea brought home persons, that was what Flea ate. They had children, a great many fleas were the children, a number of little fleas. Just one was a person, a girl. 3. The woman's older brother arrived. "Run quickly away! go home! your brother-in-law might eat you!" The man ran away directly, he went home. (2) When flea arrived, he spoke to her, flea smelled it, "How is it that my brother-in-law came here ?" — "Oh yes! he came!" — "Well, I'll be taking deer hide for moccasins to my brother-in-law." (3) He took deer hide for moccasins, he followed his brother-in-law, when he had come half way along the trail, he overtook his brother-in-law, he seized him, wrapped him up with the deer hide for moccasins, carried him away, carried back his brother-in-law, brought him home, threw him down near the river shore, his nephews ate him, his little flea nephews ate him, they ate him up. (4) The woman wept. Flea said to her, "So you are crying. Cry! and then I'll eat you up." — "Why I'm not crying at all!" That is the way it happened here, flea ate up all five of the older brothers of the woman. 4. Then the woman decided, "I will burn him. He has eaten all my older brothers." She went, she prepared pitch, pitch around the entire house. When the sun had risen very little (in the early 1

When translating, interpreter Eyley Jr. volunteered a dictation of this final paragraph. H e remembers that it was the conventional myth ending used by a Klikitat shaman, Susan Hollingworth, deceased former wife of the Klikitat informant Joe Hunt. 2 Other versions by Hunt: myth 6. p. 11; also, Northwest Sahaptin Texts, 1, p. 236.

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morning) they were asleep, Flea was asleep, the little flea sons were asleep, they were all asleep. (2) Then the woman set the house on fire, she went outside, she took that girl, she had only the one girl child who was a person. Meantime they all burned, flea and the little fleas burned up. 5. The woman went homewards, she took her child home with her, she took home with her her only child. Where they stayed the girl child grew up, that girl became a shaman, she doctored, she cured them, she doctored and cured them all, they came from every place to fetch her, and she doctored and made them well. 6. Then once in a while she killed a patient, and the patient died. When the patient died he became angry, "She is a bad doctor, they should kill the shaman!" After this patient died, all her patients died. "The shaman should be killed." They killed the shaman.(2) She had become a bad shaman. They said, "That is what they will do to a shaman, a bad shaman, they will kill him." The mother cried, she was unable to speak. Her child was a bad shaman, and they killed her. 7. pina-'-"Sutamat'lx u t'lx u nk alawainanu'"-na sapala'itas kulqanmi'. 5. Owl c a r r i e s a w a y and m a r r i e s a girl. 1. There was an old woman, and an old man, and their grandchild, a girl. When the girl went to fetch water the girl would encounter mountain beaver at the water, she would find it every time she went to fetch water, then she would find mountain beaver. (2) She would bring back the mountain beaver, she would say to her grandmother, "Oh grandmother! it was lost, it seems to me it must have fallen down from an owl." She was a big girl now. " I t seems to me that the mountain beaver fell down from an owl." 2. Now when the girl went to fetch water, the owl snatched the girl, the owl carried her away, it flew away with her. There were five fir trees. (2) The owl alighted on the first fir with the girl, the old woman and old man went and cut it down, it alighted on another fir with her, the old woman and old man cut it down too, it alighted on another with her, it also the old woman and old man cut down, it flew with her to still another fir, it also the old woman and old man cut down, (and then) owl carried the girl away. (3) The old woman and old man wept. "Now the owl has eaten our child." They lived there, they had no child any more. 3. Living there, the old woman went to fetch water. While crying, she found mountain beaver, as often as she went for water,

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she found mountain beaver. (2) After that there arrived there and opened the door and entered, little owls, they entered, the old woman snatched a stick, "Hurry! little dangerous things, little owls have come inside to us!" (3) The old woman hit them, oh goodness, a woman entered, "Ah, the little owls are your grandchildren!" There were five little owls, and one person, a girl. Then the owl came in. Owl would go away, he would pack home mountain beaver. 4. Oh dear, the old man took his bow, he wanted to shoot the owl. When he hunted, the woman would squeal, "Ah! grandfather! your grandson, oh dear, he has been making bad eyes at me." (2) The old man spoke, then he shot at the eyes of owl who arose, owl went out, and all the little owls went away and followed their father. (3) The woman and the girl remained at the house. She said to him, "Oh, grandfather! he never was angry at you, no! that is the way his eyes are." The girl stayed there, she played, she fought the children, she bit at them, until chunks of meat came off, the girl child of owl bit them.

UPPER COWLITZ MYTHS Jim Yoke Dictations given in J u l y a n d August 1927 were made from what was a p p a r e n t l y Yoke's death bed- H e turned from side to side, spoke breathlessly, halted every few minutes; a f t e r each dictation I feared t h e exertion was going to be t h e end of him. However, Yoke seemed to t a k e pleasure in t h e memories a n d n a r r a t i o n of t h e stories and he needed the wages paid for his labor. Some m o n t h s later Yoke was up, on canes, a n d in J u l y 1928 provided additional dictation. The extreme weakness of Yoke in 1927 m a y explain something of occasional looseness a n d abruptness in the narrative. But even then t h e stories were told in a remarkably light a n d entertaining temper. I n 1928 t h e stories were given in much more comfort a n d in as pleasant a mood as t h e year before. Yoke dictated in spurts of phrases, not word by word. The interpreter, Sam N. Eyley J r . , often h a d to repeat words of longer phrases or sentences; a t times Eyley m a d e changes or was inattentive, b u t not very much was lost; the resulting written narrative suffered merely sporadic shattering a n d only f r o m a stylistic point of view. I n 1927 Eyley translated in Yoke's presence in t h e latter's tipi a t Lewis, Washington. T h e stories told by Yoke contain rather more of obscenity than is ordinarily encountered. Yoke h a d been assured t h a t he could tell anything safely a n d m a y have amused himself t h e more by selecting such m y t h s as would shock his auditors with their unusual quantity of obscenity. T h e Sahaptin provincialism employed b y Yoke m a y be considered a mixture of Y a k i m a a n d upper Cowlitz, the latter predominating. The m y t h s are printed in t h e order in which they were told.

1. Skunk p r e t e n d s d y i n g and with Coyote tricks and kills animals. 1 1. There were Coyote and Skunk. They lived (there). He (Coyote) said to him, "Now you must pretend you are ill." He replied, "Very well indeed." — "I will go get the Deer." When morning came, he went to fetch them. (2) There were five Deer. Coyote reached them, and said, "My brother is growing worse now. You must go and see him." They replied, "Very well." Coyote ran on, he got back to him. (3) "They are coming now!" Then Skunk (moaned), "Ow! ow! ow!" He was much worse now! p u p u p u he blew white ashes on him.2 1 2

Another version: H u n t , m y t h 35, p. 98. Coyote whitens skunk to m a k e it appear t h a t t h e illness is critical.

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2. The five Deer arrived. "Ow! ow! they gambled with me." — " I t was just such gambling that shortened his life." "Oh doctors! take me outside! take me outside!"—(2) " H e wants to go outside now. I am getting tired out with him. You come and take him by the legs, I myself will take him here at the head." Then they carried him outside. (3) When they got outside, there Skunk discharged his musk at them, and every one of the Deer was dead. They sharpened their knives, and butchered them. There was a great quantity of food for the two brothers. 3. At length t h a t was all used up. "Now I will go fetch the Elks." There were also five Elks. Coyote ran on, he went to fetch them. "My younger brother is seriously ill now, he says you should go and see him.'' They replied, ' 'Very well.'' Coyote ran along, and reached Skunk ahead of them. "They are on their way here." 4. Then Skunk cried, "Ow! ow!" The five Elks arrived. He said, "Take me out!" Coyote told them, " I am tired of it now. You hold him at the buttocks, while I, Coyote, will do it myself at the head." (2) They took hold of him, they took him part way outside. When they were outside there, then he discharged his musk at them. They were piled up, dead. (3) The two brothers sharpened their knives, and butchered them. There was a great quantity of meat. They dried it, lived on it, ate it. 5. They ate it all up. "I'll go fetch the antlerless deer now." H e replied, "All right." Coyote ran along, and got to them. "He wants you to go to him." They replied, "Very well." Coyote ran on, he came to him ahead of them. "They are on their way here." 6. "Ow! ow!" "He is worse now." The Antlerless Deer arrived. "Ow! ow!" (cried) Skunk. "Take me out!" — "He wants to go outside now. I am getting tired of him. You hold him here at the legs, while I hold him by the head." (2) They took hold of him, they carried him out. When outside, he discharged his musk at them there. They were all dead, they lay there in a heap. They took their knives, sharpened them, butchered them, brought (the meat) into the house, sliced it, dried it, and then they lived on that. 7. They ate it all, they finished eating it. H e went to fetch the Mountain Goats, there were five Mountain Goats too. Coyote said to him, " I will be fetching them. All our food is gone." (2) He ran on, he went to get them, he arrived at them. "He is pretty low now." They replied, "Very well." Coyote ran on and got back to Skunk ahead of them. "They are on the way here now." 8. Then Skunk (cried), "Ow! ow!" " H e is just about all gone." Then Skunk (cried), "Take me out!" " I am no longer strong. You come and hold him by the legs, while I myself do it at his head." (2)

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They carried him away. That back of his was about to discharge. When outside he ejected the musk at them. They lay piled up there, all of them dead. (3) They sharpened their knives, butchered them, made food of all of them, and for some time lived on it. 9. They had eaten it all up. "I'll go fetch the Antlered Deer." He replied, "All right." Coyote ran along and reached them. "He wants you, he is much worse now." They replied, "All right, we'll go." (2) Coyote ran on and got back to him ahead of them. "All right now! They are on the way here." 10. Skunk (moaned), "Ow! ow!" Then the five Antlered Deer arrived. " I want to go outside!" Coyote told them, "You will hold him by the legs, while I myself hold him by the head." (2) They took hold of him, they carried him out. He began straining at that rectum of his, to discharge it at them. They carried him out. But meantime the oldest Antlered Deer got himself ready. (3) While they were going along carrying him outside, and when he was about to discharge at them from that rectum of his, the oldest one of them stuck his antlers into him. They were terrified, tu'lulululul.1 11. Coyote (said), "Where is my weapon ? where is my weapon ?" Then Coyote saw him. Skunk was riding away, back arched, on the antlers of the Antlered Deer. He wept some. "My poor younger brother! my poor younger brother!" But after a while, "u*'—huhuhuhuhui, they did it to him, he is riding away on antlers!" 12. They carried him away, and there at that place they cast off Skunk. They told him, "Where indeed are you to be a dangerous thing ? the people who are coming are already near here." 13. Now, so far for that. 2. Coon k i l l s G r i z z l y s w a l l o w e r , whips his lewd grandm o t h e r , t h e D u c k s scold her. 1. There were Raccoon 2 and his grandmother, they lived there. He went to fetch acorns for baking. "Go fetch them!" She gave him a bucket, he went away, he reached that place. He filled it up with acorns, carried it away, fell down, out they spilled. (2) While he lay there he ate them. He filled it up, went along, fell down, out they spilled, and so he ate them. He filled it up, but there were only a few now. (3) He went along, again he fell down, again he ate them, again he went along. He went far away. But he fell down, ate of them, filled it again, went along again, fell down again, ate of them again. (4) Now there were only a very few left. He 1 2

They dashed away. Or, Coon.

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went on, fell down, out they spilled, and he ate up all of them. There were no more at all in the bucket. (5) He returned once again to that very same place, reached there, lay flat on his belly, and ate and ate and ate for that long a time. He went deep down into the ground (oven). 2. Then the old woman, his grandmother, went to look for him. Going along she saw him eating. She beat him right here on his nose and face with the charcoal roasting stick, she whipped him from head to tail, she left him unconscious. Coon boy remained there a long time. When he came to he went away. 3. A large stream was flowing along, he gathered crabs there (singing), "Creek! little crabs! little crabs!" He found crabs, ate them, and went up river (singing), "Creek! little crabs!" While singing he turned over rocks (seeking crabs). 4. I t came down to the bank on the opposite side, and shouted to him, "When you were singing where did you cross the stream, grandchild?" The boy did not answer at all. (2) I t called to him, "Where did you cross the stream, grandchild?" Never an answer. I t called to him, "Where did you cross the stream, grandchild ?" (3) Coon went on up river (singing), "Creek! little crabs!" While singing he turned over rocks, found crabs, and ate them. He went on up stream (singing), "Creek! little crabs!" (4) While singing he turned over rocks, small crabs were right there, he took them and ate them. I t called to him, "Where did you cross the river, grandchild?" 5. I t called out and said to him, " I am Grizzly and I could swallow you and eat you up." Coon boy called out, "The place where I sang and crossed the river was where Grizzly's anus opens to break wind." (2) Grizzly threw himself into the water and swam across. Coon boy (chanted), "Gulp him down, big fish!" He came ashore. The boy struck at a flint rock, it became small, just like a knife. (3) He came ashore towards him, he said to him, "What were you telling me ?" — " I was saying to you, a big fish will gulp you down." — " I can gulp down a boy.'' I t opened its mouth towards him, it swallowed him, the boy holding that rock in his hand. 6. He cut at its heart. The boy went out towards the anus, he gave it a kick with his foot as he made himself go out. "Ouch! he scratched and tore my heart!" There the boy stood. (2) It gulped him down, once again he cut at its heart, out at the anus went the boy. I t turned around at him and swallowed him. He cut at its heart, there stood the boy, he had gone out at the anus. (3) "Ouch! he's torn my heart, I could swallow the damned thing!" I t faced towards him, it swallowed him. He cut at its heart. "Ouch!

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damn him, he's tearing my heart!" It faced towards him, it swallowed him. (4) He tore its heart, off it broke! The boy kicked his way out towards the anus. "Ouch, oh, ouch!" He got out. Then Grizzly (moaned), "Ouch, ouch!" He turned to face the boy. when he had almost swallowed him, then Grizzly fell dead. 7. The boy went back to his grandmother's (singing), " I did it to Grizzly!"i (2) The old woman had been weeping because of her grandchild, " H e did it to my grandchild!" While she was crying and weaving an ana'i basket, the old woman heard her grandson Coon, " I did it to Grizzly!" 1 (3) The old woman heard him. "Oh dear! he is naming and naming and naming the dangerous thing." The boy arrived at his grandmother's. The grandmother said to him, "You are repeatedly naming the dangerous thing." — "Not at all, grandmother. I killed Grizzly." 8. He and his grandmother made preparations to go fetch it. They went. Grizzly lay dead there. They butchered him there, they chopped him all to pieces. (2) He said to his grandmother, "What are you going to pack away, grandmother ? will you pack the forequarter, grandmother ?" — "No, your grandfather shook his forequarter at me." — "What would you prefer to pack ? would you pack the neck?" — (3) "No, my grandson. Your grandfather shook it." — "Then you would pack the back ?" — "No. Your grandfather shook his back." — " B u t you would pack a hind leg ?" — (4) "No. No, grandson. Your grandfather shook a hind leg at me." — "But would you not pack the ribs ?" — "No, my grandson. Your grand- father shook his ribs at me." — "Would you pack the belly, then?" "No, grandson. Your grandfather shook his belly at me." — (5) "Would you not pack the lungs, or the liver ?" — "No, my grandson. Your grandfather shook his lungs at me." — "But you would pack the corpse's penis ?" — (6) "Oh yes yes yes yes yes! grandson! now that was the only thing he kept from shaking!" 9. He helped his grandmother make up the pack, the old woman packed it away, they went along, packing the things, the boy's was very heavy. The boy reached home. (2) "My grandmother is not at the house." The boy went away to fetch and pack (things), again he packed it along, he reached the house with the pack. "My grandmother is not here." He searched for her. 1

Chanted in a high monotone with innumerable repetitions.

13

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10. There was a sweat house, it was covered with earth, the boy ran to the sweat house, as he went he heard, "He-'--hehehehe! hu-'—huhuhu! he-'-hehehehe! down it goes! the head! the head! hu-'-'huhuhu!" 1 (2) The old woman had had on a pubic cover, she had taken it off, she had covered over that sweat house, and there the old woman was inside the sweat house, she was copulating with that corpse's penis, she was copulating with that penis, masturbating with that penis of Grizzly. (3) The grandson seized the old woman, took her out from the sweat house there, and whipped her into unconsciousness. (4) The boy went and took that corpse's penis, washed it with water, cleaned it, took it into the house, hung it over the fire to dry, dried it. The old woman revived, took her pubic cover, put it on. The old woman went away. 11. There were five Ducks, the old woman's brother's children, at the river. They were on the other side and had a canoe. The old woman came down to the water. "Nephews! come across for me!" (2) The oldest came across to her in the canoe, landed, but no old woman at all. A small rough (volcanic) rock lay there. He went back again, crossed over, came ashore to the house. (3) Again the old woman shouted, "Come across for me! nephews!" They told him, "You now!" (4) He went across towards her, he went down to the river and crossed over to the very same place. There was no old woman, but a small rough rock lay there. He crossed over again and went ashore to the house. (5) Again the old woman shouted, "Come across for me! nephews!" They said to him, "You now!" He went across to her, to the very same place, but no old woman, only a small rough rock lay there. (6) Again he went back. And again the old woman cried out, "Come across for me! nephews!" He said to him, "Now you go over to her!" To the very same place, but no trace of an old woman, only a small rough rock lay there. Again he went home, he returned, went across the river, came ashore to the house. 12. That one was the fourth one of them, the sole one left was the youngest boy. Again the old woman shouted, "Come across for me! nephews!" They told the boy, "Now you go over to her!" (2) The youngest and only remaining boy went across to the same place there, he came to shore, he saw a small rough rock lying there. The boy came up from the beach, took a small stick, and poked it into a hole in that rock. (3) "Kachoo! kachoo! kachoo! nephew! nephew! nephew!" 2 He told the old woman that she was making 1 2

Each cry starts on a high tone and descends into a deep coarse basso. That is how she sneezed.

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her nephews tired. The old woman rode in the canoe, he took her across, they reached the house of her nephews. (4) "How does this happen to be ? My grandchild killed a large thing for food, and he drove me away from it there, he whipped me." 13. The five uncles, the Ducks, went to the boy, they reached the boy. He was drying a great quantity of meat over the fire. They said to him, "Why did you treat your grandmother like that, drive her away, beat her ?" — (2) "She did a bad thing to the food in the sweat house. That was what angered me with her." The boy shared the food and meat there with his uncles. (3) They told the boy, "Certainly the old woman did do a bad thing to the food." He made ready a great deal of meat for his uncles, he divided it among them, he had them take it home with them. 14. They went towards home, they arrived, the old woman was there. "You certainly did a bad thing, and so your grandchild was angry with you." 15. Now so far for that.

3. Mini:

boy h a s a dead girl r e s u s c i t a t e d , t h e n i n t o a d a n g e r o u s being. 1

turns

1. Many people lived there. There was a chief, he had a daughter. And there was Mink. The woman, the chief's daughter, became ill, she was ill a long time. (2) Mink boy was there. When it became dark, he would go and eat in the big river, there was food under water, there was good food in it. All those people got it there. The chief's daughter died. (3) A fine large canoe was painted red, that canoe was carried ashore, and set crosswise up on a tree. That was where the chief placed the corpse of his daughter, he put her away in that canoe. (4) He had bored a hole through it, when it would rain that water would go out through it there. I t remained there a long time. 2. Mink boy thought, " I will carry that woman away." He took down that thing with the hole, he plugged it tight shut, so that no water could go out of it, and then he put it into the water, and took her away with that canoe. (2) All day, all night, all day, all night, he took her to a land far away. A great many days, a great many nights. (3) They came near, going along he saw a house standing by the water, a fine house right at the very end of the 1

The events of the myth are supposed to have occurred at the mouth of the Cowlitz River and upstream from there.

1H*

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land, at the very place where the sun rises. That was where he landed, he came ashore, he tied the canoe. 3. Mink boy came ashore, opened the door, and entered. I t was a fine house, and a person, a man, was there. He said to him, "What have you to ask of me?" (2) He replied, "I am bringing a woman who is dead." He said to him, "Go fetch her!" The boy went, took that dead woman, brought her ashore, carried her into the house. (3) He had already properly spread out (his blanket). He told him, "Lay it down right there!" The man arose, prayed a long time, finished, stepped over her, stepped over her again, stepped over her five times. (4) The woman moved as if wakened, revived, sat up. That person said to Mink boy, "You are to stay here now, you are to stay a long time." Then the boy did remain there a long time, I do not know how many years, perhaps two years. 4. He asked Mink boy, "Now when will you be going home?" He replied, "I will be going home now." He gave him all sorts of garments, the boy carried them down to the canoe in the water, and loaded them on. That man said to him, "Whenever you feel the inclination, you may come here again." 5. He went down to the water, and returned home with his wife. They went on night and day, night and day, they came near to the place where those many people were. (2) They arrived. The chief had missed his daughter's corpse, and they had missed Mink boy. They had thought, "Maybe he is the one who carried her away." (3) They saw a canoe coming, with a man coming riding in it, and a woman coming riding in it. A great many people came. It landed right there. (4) They failed to recognize them, they did not know the man, they did not know the woman. They said, "We do not know you." The woman said to them, "You do not recognize us. I myself died here, and he is the one who carried me away." (5) They took them, canoe and all, and they all cried out to the people, "The daughter of the chief has come back!" They brought them ashore, canoe and all, to the house of her father. (6) They entered it. Her father, mother and relatives were glad, the people gathered in the house there, and there were a great many people. (7) Then Mink boy told about it. "Yes indeed I took her away to the end of the land, to where I will be going once more." 6. Mink boy became a great chief, they had a baby boy, and he grew to be a tall boy. (Mink) boy said, "I will be going away once more now." They placed good things in the canoe for them. (2) There the boy and his wife rode away in it, with two men they

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took to help them along. They went on and on and on all day long, they camped for the night, they went on all through the day, they camped over night, they went on, for ten days and ten nights. (3) Going along the woman saw in the water that very same food that they had for food. She said to those two men, "You get it for food to camp on tonight." (4) Said Mink, "Ah, what is that bad stuff fit for ?" The woman replied, "But it is good." So then (Mink) boy ate it himself too. Those two men dived into the water, got it under water there, loaded it on, brought it up out of the water. The woman took it, ate it, gave of it to her husband. 7. Mink boy ate it and said, "Oh, (it is) fine food. Let me go get it myself." He stripped, dived into the water, brought it out, loaded it on, dived into the water, brought it out, loaded it on, dived into the water, was gone some time, brought it out, loaded it on, dived into the water, was gone some time. (2) His wife said to him, "You were out of sight quite a while." He said to his wife, "I was not able to locate it just now. I t is some distance further on." He dived into the water, he was out of sight for some time. 8. The woman watched and saw him. "Goodness yes! it is his very mouth eating under the water there, and entrails are hanging (there), the tail looks like entrails, but that thing is the tail!" (2) She said to those two men, " H e has become dangerous. Turn round! return! go towards home! we will leave him!" That husband of hers had become a dangerous being. (3) They went away with that canoe. Mink boy emerged at a distance, and he cried out, "Now I'm up out!" — "Don't bother about him!" said the woman. "Hurry, hurry, hurry! keep paddling!" Mink continued going, but far behind, crying out as he went, " I have come up out of the water. Wait for me!" (4) "Oh he's just making noise. Hurry, hurry!" He had become a dangerous being. Mink cursed at his wife, he said to her, "Ah, more hair is on your privates!" (5) The woman said to the two men, " B u t I am not at all that sort." Mink shouted, " P u t my child into the water!" Then the son of Mink swam over, the boy went ps-, and so he too kept going along there. (6) He called to his son, "Fight your way to your grandfather! struggle on to your grandfather!" The latter was called Drift. 9. Then the woman once again returned towards home. She reached the house. Her father said to her, "How is it that you have returned here again ? where is your husband ?" — "He turned into a dangerous being," she told him. "That was exactly what he was, his entrails," she said of him, "were his tail."

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4. Grizzly w o m a n and Bear w o m a n soil their s i s t e r - i n law, are k i l l e d by G r i z z l y ' s h u s b a n d , whose s i s t e r is k i l l e d by U r i n e B o y . Grizzly m a n marries Urine B o y ' s sister. 1. A great many people dwelt there. There were Grizzly woman, and her friend Bear. Grizzly man was a young fellow, he slept with Grizzly woman. The two of them had been a long time together when the man sickened and died. They informed Grizzly, "Your husband died." (2) That man had gone far away, he had not died. The man had killed his father's dog, and he had buried the dog. The people wept (when) they informed Grizzly, "Your husband died." 2. After some time she thought, "I will take a look at my husband." She went to the place where he was deposited, the snow had melted, she took it out, she took it apart, she saw it was a dog, not that husband of hers. (2) Meantime her husband had come to people far, far away from there. Grizzly said to her Bear comrade, "It was not he at all, it's only a dog." Grizzly was enraged, after biting to death she ate all those people. 3. Her husband had a younger sister, and that person she did not bite to death. That Grizzly gave her food, and that woman became her servant. Grizzly would go outside, she would go to defecate, she would stoop, and then the woman would wipe her with the hair of her head. (2) Bear would go to defecate, and she would do the very same thing, she would wipe her with the hair of her head. (3) That woman servant would go all the time to dig sika'iwa roots, she would bring them back, and grind them, she made soup, she boiled it, and she added bones of people to it. (4) She would put it right here between them, and she and Bear would sit feet to feet, it was that way all the time. And so the woman's head became all full of faeces from the wipings. The woman would go away and dig roots. 4. There the man, her older brother, found her. She informed her older brother, "Grizzly bit all of them to death, I myself am the only one remaining." (2) He had deer marrow, he carried it about with him, he had it along with him, so then he washed his younger sister's head, he combed it, he made her all well. He said to his younger sister, "Say nothing whatever, until I reach there." 5. The woman reached home, they saw she was all fine. "What did you find ?" — "I found a dead deer in the water." She boiled sika'iwa roots for them, she added human bones to it, she took it away from the fire. The two comrades sat feet opposite feet, and ate it with ladles.

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6. That man appeared at the house. "Ha ha ha," they quickly folded their legs to hide their privates. Grizzly took that stew, and served it to the man, saying, " E a t i t ! " (2) The man retorted, "No! that is food for you." He stayed overnight, Grizzly and the man slept together. "Ha ha ha," her husband cohabited with Grizzly.1 7. When the sun rose, there lay bones of human beings, bones of what had been food for Grizzly. The man said he had killed a number of deer, there were many of them drying. "Let us move to there, you will cache this food, these human bones here and go on." 8. Grizzly went and dug a hole in the ground. The man stood there (bow and) arrow in hand, and said, "Let's see you jump out of there!" She leaped from it and stood outside there. (2) He said to her, "Dig further down!" She dug in deeper. He said to her, "Jump out of i t ! " She leaped up out, but she nearly failed to make it. "Dig in deeper!" She dug in deeper. (3) He said to her, "Jump out!" She leaped but fell short of making it. "Deeper down!" Meantime Bear was bringing those people (their bones) to the hole in the ground there to cache them. She dug in deeper. (4) The man said to her, "Jump out!" Not far enough, too deep in now, she could no longer jump out of it. The man took arrow and bow, drew it, and said, " I could shoot and kill you." Grizzly (cried out), "Oh dear, oh dear! you might be shooting m e ! " — (5) "Dig down deeper!" He told her, "Jump out! jump out!" She was so deep down in it that there was no way to get to the top. (6) Then the man shot his Grizzly wife. He shot her, she leaped out but fell short, he shot her, he shot her five times, Grizzly fell down and died below in there. She had carried over all those bones of persons. 9. The man said to Grizzly, "You are never to be like that, the people coming are already near." He took a club, he struck Bear on the head, he clubbed her to death. (2) "That is the way they will do it to you in future, they will club you to death, you will not be a dangerous thing." He piled them in it there, he covered them all up there. Then he and his younger sister went away. 10. He went to a land far, far away. The man climbed to a summit to look. "My younger sister is not coming." Then she appeared in sight at a distance. He waited for her, and at that place she caught up to him. " B e a little faster!" (2) He went on, left her behind, waited for her, turned to look back at her, and he saw his younger sister, he saw a grizzly bear coming. The younger sister had become a grizzly bear, because she had been servant woman for Grizzly so long a time. (3) So it seems that she 1

She does not suspect that he is her former husband.

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herself was now a grizzly. The man ran, the grizzly pursued him. She would ascend an elevation, and he would see her, "The grizzly has come on top now." 11. He ran and ran and ran, it was following close to him now, when the man found it, going along he saw a house standing there, that house had smoke coming from it. (2) He came close to the door of it there, and he saw a boy sitting there. He told him, "A dangerous being is pursuing me." The boy replied, "A dangerous being is pursuing me." (3) He mocked him. The man said to him, "Hurry! hide me!" The boy said to him, "Hurry! hide me!" The man said to him, "Hide me! my brother-in-law!"1 12. The hair of the boy was this long, tied in a knot. That was how he did it. He said to him, "Come here into the back of my hair!" The name of the boy was Little Urine Person. Grizzly bear appeared in sight, the boy wished that door to become this small in size. 13. Grizzly bear said to him, "Have you seen the food I am pursuing?" (Said) Little Urine Person, "Have you seen the food I am pursuing?" Grizzly told the boy, "I might bite you and swallow you." (2)The boy said the very same thing to her,hemocked her. The boy urinated on her, he urinated into her mouth, there Grizzly fell down dead.2 14. The boy had five older sisters, they were out digging roots, evening came, the five sisters returned home, they came back from their root digging. (2) It was when evening fell, the boy said to the oldest sister, "Let us sleep together, sister!" She replied, "Ah, but you might urinate on me." To another then. (3) She replied in the same manner too, she said to him, "You might urinate on me." To four of them. The youngest sister, he said to her, "Now let the two of us sleep together, sister!" — "Very well!" 15. The man had already opened the hair, the man came out of it. The (youngest) sister had known he had been keeping the man there. (2) The (four) sisters said to them, "Let him be husband of all of us." The boy said to them, "You disliked me, she alone will have the man." 16. Now that is all of that. 5. C o y o t e k i l l s t h e S o f t B a s k e t W o m a n - w i t h - v a g i n a dentata.3 1. Coyote was traveling along below on the prairie purposely for combat. The Soft Basket Person lay on her back high up on the 1 2 3

Little Urine Boy mocks everyone until called brother-in-law. His urine is poisonous. Note another version in the text dictated by Lewy Costima (p. 245).

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mountain, and shouted to persons traveling by, "we-waya'kam ta-'-tam!" (2) Then men would climb up, climb up to her. She lay on her back, it (her vulva) was perfectly visible, it sounded tcatcatcatcatca. The men would copulate with her, and then she would cut off their (penis), and the man would be dead. (3) She had a house, she had five children. She would take a person, bring him for food, and they would eat him. When the sun rose she would go away, lie down, watch for persons traveling by, and that was how it was continually. 2. Coyote himself was coming along on his travels. When Coyote was traveling by, she called to him, "we-waya'kam ta-'-tam!" She called to him five times, and then he raised his head. (2) Coyote saw the Soft Basket Person lying on her back and calling up above there. "All right! I'll be coming to you." (3) He climbed up to her, taking two long stones, which he thrust somewhere in his garments. When he came near the Soft Basket Person, that vulva of hers was sounding tcatcatcatca. (4) Coyote said to the Soft Basket Person, "You must not see. Shut your eyes as tight as you can. Mine hurts." Then the Soft Basket Person shut her eyes. He took out one rock first, he thrust it into her, hot. "u'lulululu!" — (5) "Your eyes are open. Shut your eyes tight!" He threw away that first rock, took another, thrust it into her, "u'lulu! u'lulu!" He made it go deep in, then out flowed that water ca-' ! that is what it became.1 3. Coyote went along, he went to see those Soft Basket Person infants, he reached their house, the babies ran at him, they wanted to eat him up. He took a stick and clubbed them all to death. (2) But not long after, and he saw they were still alive. He did it as many as five times, he clubbed them to death, but they were not dead. 4. Coyote went away, and there he asked his two younger sisters, he defecated, and asked the sisters, and this is what they said to him, "Think it out for yourself!" (2) He did t , u t ' u t ' u t ' u to them, he pleaded for rain. "Don't! don't! older brother! We'll tell you." He said to them, "That is just what I had been forgetting." (3) They went back into him again. They had told him, "What is dangling there is their five hearts. You must make a pointed stick, and you must stab them with that. Then they will die indeed." 5. That is what he did. Coyote went back inside, and did it to them in that manner. They were biting at him, but holding in his hand that pointed stick, he speared all of them to death with it. 1

It became a waterfall which is now to be seen beside the Cowlitz River highway a few miles east of Randle.

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6. And he said, "The people will not be like that in future. The people who are coming are already near. When they visit one another, it will not be like that, they will only share food with one another. And when a man and a woman meet, they will embrace, and they will cohabit. But it will not be like that." 6. C o y o t e goes to t h e l a n d of t h e d e a d to be with his children.1 1. There were a great many people dwelling there. The son of Coyote became ill, and died. After that, the daughter of Coyote was there, she wept because of her younger brother, and she became ill from crying, the shamans treated her, and then she died. (2) Coyote wept because of his son and daughter, all day through Coyote stayed so, and then he thought, " I will follow them." He went to a land far, far away. 2. He came to where there were great numbers of people, there where those people were who had died. There his daughter and son gave him food, there he remained. This is what he said to them, " I will never go back home." (2) His daughter said to him, "You must go back home." His son said to him, "Indeed you must go home." He replied, "Oh no!" (3) His daughter said to him, "No no! Indeed you must go home. Why should you remain 1" His son spoke similarly to him. "Indeed you must go home. Why should you remain?" 3. Then he replied, "Very well. I will go back home." So they filled his pack for him, they closed the top of it, they made it tight shut for him. "You are not to open it under any circumstances until you have arrived there.'' He packed it, and then he went away. 4. He went far, far far away. Then he became hungry, and that pack was heavy. He thought, " I wonder what sort of food they prepared in this pack for me." He took off the pack, and there he opened it, he had it completely open. (2) Then he went on, but he had left his son and daughter, they had placed spirits in it, that was what he had been carrying along. 5. Coyote had been thinking, "They prepared food for me." He had been told, "You must never open it anywhere until you have arrived at home." Coyote thought about it, but he had become hungry. (2) " I wonder what sort of food my daughter and son prepared for me, I do wonder what food they prepared for me." He did become hungry. " I will eat before going further." He took down the pack, loosened it completely, opened it right up like 1

Note the Hunt version in Northwest Sahaptin

Texts, 1, p. 227.

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that. (3) They all started away, daughter, son, and other different persons. Hastily he covered it over, he cried out to them, "Come back, my son! come back, my daughter!" Then Coyote went away, and proceeded towards home. 6. " I will defecate before going further now. What was it that I just did ?" He had his two younger sisters, he had defecated and asked the sisters, "You will explain to me what it was I did." (2) They told him, "Make up your mind about it yourself! You will be saying, That is exactly what I had been forgetting." Coyote made "pt'pt'pt'" at them, "ta'miyu-ta'miyu-ta'miyu." 7. "Don't! don't! older brother! we'll explain. What had been packed in it for you was dead people, that was what you were carrying along, you were taking your daughter and your son, and also a number of other people. (2) Your daughter and your son had told you, 'Not until you arrived home there.' That is the way you had been told. When you were to reach home, there you were to loosen it. That was the way it had to be, for had you carried it home, then nevermore would there be death." 8. So far now. 7. C o y o t e t r i c k s E a g l e and t a k e s his w i v e s , r e l e a s e s s a l m o n , is d u p e d by a n d d u p e s W o l v e s . 1 1. Coyote and his son Eagle were persons. His son Eagle had four wives. When away hunting, Coyote went to a high rock cliff, Coyote defecated, and came back home. (2) And his son came home again also. Eagle had a valuable shirt. Coyote said to his son, "Oh! yonder are young ones of an Eagle, with feathers for these arrows." His son replied, "Well, so you did find feathers. Let us go tomorrow." 2. When the sun rose they went away to that place, they reached it. There Coyote said to his son, " L o o k ! " He had made the feathers, that was how Coyote had magically wished them. (2) He said, "Look!" He told his son, "Take off your shirt and all of that! you might spoil i t . " That shirt had dentalia. He took it off, placed it there and left it before going on. (3) Then Eagle climbed up the cliff there to fetch those feathers. He climbed up, at length he reached the place. Two tiny faeces of Coyote lay there, that was what Coyote had magically wished. (4) There was no way to descend. He took his son's shirt, he put it on. " y a " a ' a ' a - " y a " a ' a ' a - " , " he ran on singing, "Father found some feathers!" His son said shouting down at him, "Dirty-scabby face!" 1

Other versions: Hunt, myth 31, p. 82; also 3:2, p. 9 1 ; Eyley J r . , myth 2, p. 103.

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3. Coyote came near to the home where the four wives of his son were. Eagle had one son, a boy. When he came near to them, "Papa papa!" it cried as it went along, "Papa papa!" (2) Pretending he had been caught up above Coyote came to the two women. They were two comrades, Mouse and Cricket. He had (also) as wives Turtle Dove and her comrade Dove, these two women were his (Eagle's) favorites. (3) He returned to there, to Mouse and to Cricket, while he let alone the two wives who were dear to his son, Turtle Dove and Dove. 4. The Doves said to each other, "He is Coyote. He caused his son to be marooned up above there." Turtle Dove and Dove wept on account of their husband. (2) "There's too much talk now! But they did like their father-in-law! Let him be there! the old man is marooned up above there." When they moved away, Coyote took those two Mouse and Cricket wives of his son. 5. When they had moved away, he said to them, "Go camp over there now." Turtle Dove baked white camas in ashes, she put in the food, she covered it over. (2) She left one (root) in plain view there, because in some way or other it was possible he might escape, descend, reach there, and find food at the fire place. (3) Coyote hunted as they went along. "You are to camp at that place yonder!" The women reached that precise place, Turtle Dove and Dove themselves camped at a distance away, while at the other site were Mouse and Cricket, the wives of Coyote, they were the wives he had taken from his son. (4) Along the way Coyote had shot and killed a fawn, Coyote brought it home, he offered a foreleg to Dove and her comrade. (5) That boy, Eagle's son, cried and cried, they camped with the child at a distance away, they were making it cry. "They love and want their father-in-law a very great deal!" (explains Coyote). 6. Meantime he (Eagle) could not get down from that place. When the sun rose, they moved away. "You are to camp yonder at that place!" Again in the same manner Turtle Dove prepared and cached white camas for his food before going on. Again they made their camp at a distance apart. (2) Going along Coyote had shot and killed another fawn, he brought it there, again he gave them a foreleg. (3) The boy cried and cried. "Ah, they loved their fatherin-law." They camped with the child a distance away. 7. When the sun rose, they moved on. Coyote said, "You are to camp yonder at that place after a while." As he went along he hunted, he shot and killed another fawn, brought it back to there, and again gave a foreleg to Turtle Dove and her comrade. They camped over night.

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8. When the sun rose, they moved away. Again in the same manner Turtle Dove prepared food, she covered over white camas roots close to the fire before going on. (2) Coyote had said to them, "You are to move to yonder place after a while." That was where they camped. On his way Coyote had shot another fawn, and again he proffered a foreleg. 9. When the sun rose he said, "Let us move now." He said to them, "We will camp at that site yonder." Before going Turtle Dove covered over white camas roots for his (Eagle's) food close to the fireplace, and left one (root) there in plain view for him. That was the third night they had made camp. 10. When it dawned, they moved on. He said, "You are to camp at that place yonder after a while." They moved on. Coyote hunted, he shot and killed still another fawn. Turtle Dove and her comrade always camped at a distance away. Again he packed home a fawn and gave them a foreleg. 11. When it dawned, they moved away. This was the fifth time now. He told them, "You are to camp at that site yonder." When they made camp there, Coyote brought another fawn home, and shared another foreleg with them. (2) The boy had been crying. Coyote said, "For what purpose do you camp with it ?" But they loved their father-in-law. "Never mind the old man stuck up there!" 12. Spider had a trap set and there he found Eagle, now just about completely starved. "What has happened to you ?" he said to him, "to be caught up here ?" (2) "Ah yes! Coyote did it to me." He said to him, "Grandfather! you let me down!" Spider took and tied up Eagle, and let him down below. When he stood on the ground, Eagle untied himself and went away. 13. He arrived, nothing there any more. He found the food, ate it, went away, and reached another camp site. Again he searched for food, again found it, and ate it. Then he became stronger. (2) Again he went on, again he found it, "This is the place where they made camp." Again he found food, ate it, again he went on. He became strong now. (3) "They must have been camping right about here." He found food, "They must have moved away from this place just a short while ago." He followed them. Then Eagle ran on and caught up to them. 14. She was going along carrying the child on its cradle board, "m 'm-'m 'm ' , " it cried as they went along. He went on to catch up with them. Turtle Dove was going along in the rear with the child on its cradle board. (2) The little boy on the cradle board turned his head, "ta'ta'ta'ta'takum," the little boy (said when he)

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saw his father coming. Turtle Dove said, "He's dead." (3) Five times, t h a t many, he watched him coming (and cried), " t a ' t a ' t a ' t a ' t a ' ! " — " H u s h ! he died!" The pack rope hung from his wife Turtle Dove's pack, he took it there, tugged a t it, pulled her head back, the woman turned towards him, and saw him coming. Her comrade Dove was ahead. "Ah, so you have caught up to u s ! " 15. They rested a t t h a t place, and there the women told about themselves, and how Coyote had t a k e n t h e m here and there. H e said to his wives, "After a while, when he gives you the foreleg, you will throw it back at him directly t h e n . " The women packed him along with them. 16. When they came to where they made their camp, Eagle was not in view. Coyote returned from hunting, and brought a fawn. They went to share the foreleg with them. (2) Eagle had told them, "You should make camp further a t a distance." When Coyote arrived, he said to those two women, "Oh indeed, you are camping with the baby at too great a distance away. (3) B u t t h e y loved their father-in-law!" The son, Eagle, listened. The person appeared who came to give the foreleg to them. The woman took the foreleg, she threw it back a t her. " A h ! b u t they did love their father-in-law so dearly!" 17. Eagle was about to pick up a stick and go to him then. F a t h e r Coyote saw Eagle. H e (Eagle) could have whipped him for it there. H e (Coyote) said to him, "Take care! you might break the valuables (beads), I will take off your (valuables), my son! don't do i t ! " (2) H e took his (Eagle's) shirt off, and Coyote told his son, "The women are yours, of course, my son! here are your women, my son!" (3) His son said to him, " L e t t h e m be yours! I don't want t h e m ! you can have t h e m for your own wives now." They became amicable again, Coyote's son gave him the women. 18. Then t h e women and all moved away. As they went along Eagle hunted, he shot and killed a large deer. They lived there for some time. When Coyote went hunting he shot and killed mere fawns. (2) Eagle shot and killed large things. Eagle went hunting, and he shot and killed two, he left one of t h e m there, the other he carried home. (3) He said to his father Coyote, "You go fetch it yourself now! I left a strap there with which to pack it." Coyote went away, he waded through streams, he crossed five streams, small streams. (4) Rain was coming, and t h e n it did rain. Eagle h a d magically wished for rain to come to him. Coyote came this way with his pack. (5) His son h a d p u t out for him entrails t h a t exactly resembled a pack strap, deer entrails. H e packed it, he came this way with his pack, while it rained and rained.

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19. He came down to a stream that was rising and already becoming large, he waded across to the other side with some difficulty. He came down to another river, waded to the other side, but it was already a large river. (2) His pack strap broke, he caught it, dragged it ashore, with difficulty packed it away. He packed it along, came down to a river, waded across, the pack strap broke in the very middle of the river, with difficulty did he drag it from the water to the shore. (3) There he packed it on again, and packed it along in this direction. He came down to still another river, waded across to this side, when it broke in the river, he caught it, tugged it ashore, packed it, and came on. (4) He came down to a stream that was already quite large, and he waded across to this side, it broke, he pulled it ashore, packed it by hand, packed it on in this direction. With his pack he had forded as many as four rivers on his way here. 20. He now came down to the last of the rivers, he waded across to this side with the pack, but he now waded over in water too deep, the pack broke apart, he caught it, dragged it to shore, but it became too much for him, he lost his hold on it in the stream, and that pack floated away. (2) When Coyote got ashore, he said, "What am I to do ? I will float downstream." He searched for wood, found it, it was a concave piece of wood like this, he laid himself on it, he put himself on it as if on a cradle board, he put himself into the water, and floated away. 21. There was a fish dam of earth blocking the stream. There were five Wild Duck girls, that fish dam was theirs, it was at that place that Chinook salmon were held in. Every kind of as many fish as there were belonged to those girls in their water place, and it was at that place in the water that Coyote was caught. 22. He was working his tongue (like a baby), when the youngest Wild Duck came down to the water and saw that a child was stuck there. She went ashore, she brought water from the river, and said, "An infant is stuck in the water," to her older sisters. (2) The oldest one said, " I t ought to be nice to have it for a child, its relatives must have drowned (disappeared), and apparently it came floating downstream from there." (3) All five of them came down to the river then. "Oh, it is a nice child!" They brought it from the river to their house, they fed it,1 it worked its tongue xwa'sxwa'sxwa's.1 "Dear oh dear! it's a cunning tot, and it's hungry." They went to sleep, they took it with them to sleep. 23. When the sun rose, they set it on a cradle board, they tied it on a stick, they placed food before it, near its mouth, and they fixed its little hands where it could see them. (2) Then they left it, 1

I n the comical monotone bluster of Coyote.

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they went to dig white camas. When they had gone out of sight, Coyote untied himself, went down to the fish dam, caught a Chinook salmon, took it ashore, roasted it, butchered it, roasted it, when it was all done he ate it. (3) When he had finished eating, he made a wooden ladle, he made a root digger. Then he realized. "They are going to return pretty soon." He put himself on the cradle board, in the same way again he set himself on it, but that food was still there. (4) The women arrived. "Dear, oh dear! how cutely he has been staying all alone here!" They went to sleep. 24. When the sun rose they treated him in precisely the same manner again, they prepared food for him before they went, they left him. He untied himself, went down to the water, seized one, took it ashore, butchered it, roasted it, finished cooking it, and ate it. (2) He made a ladle, and a root digger, there were two ladles, two root diggers now. And the same way again he put himself on the cradle board, set himself there, and fixed himself in just the same manner again. (3) Those five came back home. "Oh dear! how cutely he stays all alone!" They went to sleep. 25. When the sun rose they went away to dig roots. They left Coyote fastened on the cradle board there. He untied himself, went down to the river, caught a Chinook salmon, butchered it, roasted it, ate it, came back, and made a ladle and a root digger. That was the fourth ladle he had completed, and also the fourth root digger. They came home, they went to sleep. 26. Before going they set him there, and left him in the very same fashion. He loosened himself, went to the river, caught a Chinook salmon, roasted it, finished cooking it, ate it all, came back, made a ladle and finished it, made another root digger and finished it. (2) That then was the last one of the five ladles, and also the fifth one of the root diggers. They slept through the night. 27. They left him, they went to dig white camas. Coyote untied himself, went to the river and caught a Chinook salmon, took it to shore, butchered it. That was the last one of them now. When cooked, he ate it. 28. He went and took a root digger, put a ladle on top of his own head, and dug in the soil, he dug to make an opening through that fish dam. He dug all day long, he dug to open up that fish dam. (2) When he was deep down there in it, he reflected it was pretty near opened through. Then the oldest woman while digging broke her root digger, the oldest Wild Duck woman said to her younger sisters, "Some people or other must have reached that child. Let us go home." (3) They reached home, but no Coyote, no baby. They ran here, they ran there, but no baby. They searched for it.

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29. They ran down to the water, they saw him digging, they ran to him, they struck him, they struck him five times, when they struck him that ladle was bent thoroughly out of shape, and at the same time the root digger was broken. (2) He took another ladle, placed the ladle on his head, they took another root digger. He dug, again they struck five times at that cup, that cup was smashed, and again the root digger was broken. (3) He took another one and placed it on top of himself, they took a root digger. He put more vim into the digging. They struck him as many as five times, that ladle was smashed, and at the same time the root digger was broken. (4) He took another one and put it on top of himself, and they likewise took a root digger. He dug with still more energy. Five times they struck him, smash! and likewise the root digger broke. 30. Only one more ladle, only one more root digger. He placed it on top of himself, they took the last root digger. Then he dug, they struck him four times, they struck him, bent, smashed! he wedged through it and opened it, that water flowed through and out. (2) "Hurrah! hurrah! the younger brother has arrived!" Apparently in the meantime the younger Wild Duck had known, so she headed off the Chinook salmon, but nevertheless they escaped some distance past her. 31. Coyote stood there and shouted, "Of all the fish only a few will be yours, the people coming are near now. You are to be Wild Ducks, and when Chinook salmon go upstream, you will follow them. You will be mere birds, you will follow crying wi'Dwi'Dwi'Dwi'D."

32. Coyote went on in this direction, he came up the great river. He had come up along the river to that place. " I am becoming hungry. I will cry out." (2) There was gravel by the side of the river, there he stood and he shouted, "(Jet yourself ashore! thing I have made!" (3) Chinook salmon came ashore xa-'pappppp, he stooped here and there, but could not catch them, all the Chinook salmon went back into the water. Five times he went (and did it), that was how it (invariably) occurred. 33. He went and defecated his two younger sisters. "You explain, my younger sisters!" One younger sister's name was Huckleberry, the other's name was Pine Nut. (2) They replied, "Go figure it out yourself now! You will say, 'That is precisely what I had been forgetting.'" — " t ' u t ' u t ' u t ' u t ' u ta'miyu-ta'miyu-ta'miyu!" (3) "Oh be careful! older brother! we'll explain, what you are to do when you go. You are to stand on the sand, you will take a club, when it has come out of the water, and when it is flapping here 14

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and there on the sand, you will strike with this club, and it will die, you will strike it on its head till it dies." — "That is just what I forgot." 34. He went away, he went down on the river sand, he took a club, and shouted, "Get yourself ashore! thing I have made!" A Chinook salmon came out of the water, he struck it on the head, he struck it absolutely to death. (2) He took hold of it, carried it away from the water, prepared fire wood, made a fire, butchered it, roasted it, and when it was thoroughly done he became sleepy. (3) "I'll take a little nap." He leaned against some wood, and slept. Meantime Wolves were going by, there were five Wolves, they had magically made sleep for Coyote. (4) They came to him, and while he was sleeping they ate up all that of his. And they daubed his hands and mouth with salmon, they heaped up the remains of it for him, they left him. Coyote awakened hungry. "Though I am at my eating place, I am still hungry." 35. He went away, again he went upstream, there again he shouted, he cried out holding a club, "Get yourself ashore! thing I have made!" It came out of the water, he clubbed it on the head to death, he went away, prepared a fire, butchered it, roasted it, became sleepy, and fell tight asleep. (2) Those same Wolves came to him, there were five of them, they ate up that of his, they did the same thing again to his mouth, they left him. Coyote awoke. " I am hungry, and nevertheless I have remains of food on my hands and mouth." They had daubed him with it. 36. He went on, but was even sooner hungry now. He went on, and there again he shouted, "Get yourself ashore! thing I have made!" A Chinook salmon came out of the water, he clubbed it, caught hold of it, brought it ashore, prepared fire wood, made a fire, butchered it, roasted it, and then when the cooking was nearly done, "Oh dear, I am becoming sleepy." (2) He leaned against some wood, and he must have slept soundly indeed. The Wolves came to him, they ate up all that of his, all of it. He was sleeping. They daubed his hands and mouth with salmon. He awoke. " I am hungry, but anyhow I do have remains of food on me." They had left him. 37. Coyote went away, again he sat down on the dirt, and shouted, "Get yourself ashore! thing I have made!" A Chinook salmon came out of the water, he clubbed it, brought it ashore, prepared a fire, butchered it, roasted it, and when it was nearly cooked, he became sleepy, and then he fell sound asleep. (2) That was sleep the Wolves had made for him. They came to him, they ate up all of his, they themselves were just Wolves who were traveling along

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some distance back from the river bank. They just daubed some on his hands and mouth. He hungry. "Anyhow I am at my eating place." 38. He went away again, and became hungry directly. No food at all. He sat down on the sand, and shouted, "Get yourself ashore! thing I have made!" A Chinook salmon came out of the water la'ppppp, he clubbed it on the head, brought it ashore, prepared fire wood, made a fire, butchered it, roasted it, it was nearly cooked, it was cooked now, he fell asleep. (2) The Wolves came to him, they ate all of his while he was sleeping, they smeared it on his mouth and hands. Coyote awoke. "I am hungry, but still I have remains of food on me." 39. Then he was very very hungry. He went, sat on the sand right by the water, and shouted, "Get yourself out of the water! thing I have made!" I t came out of the water xa'ppppppp, he clubbed it to death, brought it ashore, prepared a fire, roasted it, it became done, Coyote became very sleepy, he slept. (2) The Wolves came to him, ate all of his, smeared it on his hands and mouth, left him. He awoke. "Really I must have eaten anyhow, and nevertheless I am hungry again." 40. Coyote went away a short distance, that was how (hungry) he went. "I'll defecate and inquire before I go further." He defecated, one younger sister of his was Huckleberry, another younger sister of his was Pine Nut. (2) "Now explain it to me, my younger sisters!" — "Think it out for yourself before you go on! You will be saying, 'That is really just what I had been forgetting!'" — " t ' t ' t ' t ' t ' ta' miyu-ta' miyu-ta' miyu!" — " Oh don't! older brother! We'll explain to you! (3) I t is Wolves who are traveling by. They are the ones who bake eggs up from the river bank, they are the ones who have been magically making sleep for you. And when you are asleep they come to you, they eat up yours, and they smear it on your mouth and hands. (4) Now you yourself cause them to sleep! They bake those eggs up from the river bank." — "Very well indeed! That is exactly what I had been forgetting." 41. Coyote went on, he made sleep for the Wolves, they slept, Coyote reached the Wolves, the eggs were being baked, all five of them lay about, asleep, Coyote took them out of the bake oven, Coyote ate them. (2) He left one remaining one for each of them, that is how he did it to them, he deposited such a left over for each of the five of them, he himself gave each of them just a smear of it on their mouths and hands, and he left them. (3) The Wolves awoke hungry, they said to one another, "But we really must have been eating. And still I am hungry. (4) Nevertheless we all 14»

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of us have remains of the food right on our mouths and hands." They baked those eggs of grouse and pheasant. 42. Coyote went on, he went up river, he had eaten now. He came to the sand near the river, he shouted, "Get yourself out of the water! thing I have made!" It came out of the water, he clubbed the Chinook salmon, he brought it ashore, he burned fire wood, he roasted it, it became cooked, and then he felt sleepy. (2) " I shall not fall asleep any more." He strolled here and there round the roast, when it was done, he took it away from the fire, and ate it up. He did not sleep any more. 43. When he finished eating, Coyote found out where the Wolves were baking eggs. He made sleep for them, they went to sleep, Coyote reached them, they were sleeping, he took it out of the bake oven, Coyote ate it up. (2) He daubed it on their hands and mouths, he collected the left overs for them, he left them. The five Wolves awoke famished. "We are hungry, though there are remains of food on our hands and mouths." 44. Coyote went on, and the Wolves themselves went on. Coyote stood close to the river holding a club, and shouted, "Get yourself ashore! thing I have made!" A Chinook salmon came out of the water xa-'ppppp, he clubbed it, brought it ashore, threw it down, prepared fire wood, made a fire, roasted it, it was finished cooking. (2) When it was done, he felt as if he wanted to sleep, but he went here, he went there, and he did not go to sleep. Since it was cooked, he ate it, he finished eating, he went on, he went upstream. 45. He found out that the Wolves were baking eggs. He made sleep for them, the Wolves went to sleep, Coyote came to them, took it from the bake oven, ate the eggs, collected five left overs for the five of them, smeared it on the mouths of all of them and on the hands of all of them, and left them. (2) The Wolves awoke hungry. "And yet there are remains of food smeared right over all our hands, and we are famished." 46. Coyote had left them, and gone away. "I'll call out." He shouted, "Get yourself out of the water! thing I have made!" A Chinook salmon came out of the water, he roasted it, it was done, he felt like sleeping, " I must not sleep at all now." (2) He took the cooked Chinook salmon from the fire, ate it, finished eating, and went away. 47. He found out that the Wolves were baking eggs. He made sleep for them, the Wolves became sleepy. He reached them, the Wolves were asleep, Coyote took it out of the bake oven, ate it, ate all of it. (2) He collected the left overs in five piles for the five of them, smeared it on all their mouths and hands, and left them.

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(3) The Wolves awoke, (the one) said to his younger brothers, "Anyhow we do have remains of food on all our mouths, and still are hungry. How can it be that we are like that here ? Very probably Coyote has been doing it to us." 48. Meantime Coyote had gone on for a certain amount of time, and then he became hungry. He stood on the sand right by the water, and shouted, "Get yourself out of the water! thing I have made!" (2) A Chinook salmon came out of the water xa'ppppp, he struck it on the head with a club, he brought it ashore, roasted it, it became done, he felt as if he wanted to sleep. (3) I t was the sleep the Wolves were making for him. But he did not sleep now by any means. " I certainly will not sleep now." Coyote ate, he ate it all, he went away. 49. Ah, he found out that they were baking eggs, he made sleep for them, the Wolves went to sleep, he reached them, he took their eggs out of the oven, he ate all of theirs, he smeared it on all their mouths and hands, he left them. (2) They awoke. "And still there are remains of food." The oldest one said to them, " B u t we do have remains of food on us, and still I am hungry. Suppose we bake, and no longer go to sleep." (3) They planned it, Coyote found it out, "The damned things! they no longer want to go to sleep. They did it as many as five times to me, and I myself would be satisfied if I too could eat theirs five times also." 50. He went for the last time. The Wolves were very hungry now. Coyote went on, he was hungry. " I will call out to the thing I made." He stood close to the water, he shouted, "Get yourself out of the water! thing I have made!" (2) A Chinook salmon came out of the water xa'pppppp, he clubbed it, brought it ashore, built a fixe, roasted it, it became done, he felt sleepy. " I certainly will not sleep now." He went here, went there, took it out of the fire, ate it, and left there as much of the remains as he had eaten. (3) I t seems Coyote was not asleep when they arrived, and apparently they were eating Coyote's left overs. (4) He had just about finished his repast, when he heard lo'x--, he stood, he looked, and he saw one Wolf peeking here at him, Coyote grabbed a club, Coyote ran at them, he scared the Wolves away, they scattered. "Wherever you may be, that is exactly how you will come, and you will eat left overs." 51. Coyote went away, but they just followed after Coyote some distance back in from the river bank, while Coyote himself traveled along by the side of the river. " I am hungry now. I will call out to the thing I have made." (2) He went down to the stream, he stood at the very edge, and shouted, "Get yourself out of the water!

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thing I have made!" (3) A Chinook salmon came out of the water, he clubbed it, brought it ashore, made a fire, roasted it, now it was roasting, now it was done, it was almost finished cooking. (4) He heard la'x--. "Aha!" Wolves came into view from the thickets, they wanted to bite and kill him. Coyote quickly arose, snatched a club, and chased them. (5) The Wolves fled. Coyote ate, he left some of it there, and then he went on. "They might bite and kill me, indeed!" He came on from there, and then at that place Coyote quit. 8. S k u n k c o h a b i t s w i t h E a g l e ' s w i f e , pursues E a g l e , l o s e s his sac, s l a u g h t e r s i n s u l t e r s , is f o o l e d by Frost. 1 1. There was an old woman, (she had) no husband, no man. And there were Skunk and his comrade Eagle. Eagle was wont to be away hunting. The old woman said to a (young) woman, "You should go to Eagle's place." (2) Eagle had quantities of valuable things and garments, Skunk had such things also. The woman went, she came to the outside of it, she took a look in, she pulled aside (the door flap), she saw, "Oh, there are quantities of valuable things and clothes." (3) She thought, "So that is the one who is Eagle." Then the woman went in. 2. Skunk saw her. "Do not sit on that bed there! that is Skunk's bed, it reeks frightfully with musk. Come here and sit down!" He gave the woman meat for food. (2) You know ma'tct root.2 He was grinding it, he gave it to her to eat. He said to the woman, "Now grind it yourself!" He gave it to her. At length it became evening. (3) "I'll be hiding the woman." (And then) "Skunk is near now, Skunk might discharge musk at us." He hid her. 3. The woman heard footsteps approaching. He put down the pack of deer outside, Eagle entered. When he came he said to Skunk, "Take it inside!" He arose. "Take it inside!"3 Eagle overheard him. (2) "Apparently something must have come here." — "Why not at all." That is what he replied. When Eagle sat down, the woman pulled aside the cover from her face from where she was hiding, she saw Eagle. (3) "So this is really that man!" The comrades ate. Skunk took cooked food from the table, he gave food to the woman behind there. 1

Told in July 1928, translated with Eyley Jr. in December 1931. Hunt gave a version printed in Northwest Sahaptin Texts, 1, p. 207. 2 Yoke addressed this parenthetically to the recorder. 3 The translation of this one remark is not adequate. Skunk says it in an aside and in the dialect peculiar to him.

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4. Well then, when it became evening, when it became dark, they went to sleep. Then Skunk laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed. His comrade Eagle said to him, "You are awakening me from my sleep." (2) "Why no! Mice ran over my face, and I struck at them but missed. They have been biting at my rectum, that is why I have been laughing." 5. Early the next morning Eagle went hunting. Skunk made her arise, he had her grind ma'tct roots. When evening came, he put the woman in the storage place. 6. Eagle could be heard as he came, tuxtuxtux. 1 He took off the pack of deer, Skunk took it inside. "Assuredly they would think it queer for me to carry it inside." (2) When Eagle went into the house, the deer already had been carried into the house. Eagle said to him, "Take care lest you discharge musk at i t ! " — ( 3 ) " I would not discharge musk at it." Then he gave his comrade ma'tct roots. He said to him, "Apparently you have been grinding it finely now." — "You did not like mine, and so I endeavored to grind it more finely." 7. When they had retired for the night, Skunk and the woman laughed as they slept. "You laugh too much, you wake me up." — "Oh no! Mice were going over me, and when I struck at them I missed them. And fleas were biting my rectum. So I was laughing." 8. When the sun rose, Eagle went away to hunt. The woman arose then, she ground ma'tct roots. The woman's hair was long. (2) She pulled out one of her own (hairs), she tied it in a knot, she placed it there in the ma'tct roots, which she ground to be fed to him. 9. When (the sun was) low, when it became evening, they heard the sound of Eagle approaching. He took off and set down his pack of deer. "Take it inside!" (2) Skunk went inside. Eagle sat down, he roasted food. Skunk went outside, he carried down that deer, he brought it into the house. He said to him, "Take care lest you discharge musk at it." (3) (Said) Skunk, "No, older brother! No, older brother! I will not discharge musk at it." Meantime she was hidden, he had put the woman away in the storage place. Then he gave him those ma'tct roots. (4) While eating, Eagle found the hair, there it was in it. "Why indeed! hair of yours must have come off." — "Why no. I t probably came off me by accident." (5) Eagle took the hair, he drew it out to its full length, he said to Skunk, " I t is not yours." He went across to his older brother, he compared the length of those hairs. (6) He said to him, "This hair is not yours. No. It may be hair from the back (of your head)." He 1

Sound of footsteps.

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compared it, (but it was) far longer. He said to him, "It is not yours." — "Why no ,older brother. It is my hair." They went to bed then. 10. The sun rose. "I am tired now of going to fetch (game). I left one there. You go fetch it!" Skunk was worried and annoyed. He had secreted her in the storage place before going. (2) He went outside, he went on. He heard, "He is coming running back again."— "I think I forgot the fire poker." — "Why are you poking the fire ?" (3) He fixed up the woman's storage place, and then he went away. He ran along, but again he turned back, he went inside the house. "I seem to have forgotten my comb." He said to him, "Why are you fixing yourself up ?" Then Skunk ran on, he went away. 11. Now Eagle stood up, he crossed to the woman, he drew her forth, he had her arise. "Why did you go to Skunk, the rascal? You came to me myself!" (2) The woman emerged. He said to her, "Lie down!" When the woman lay down, the man, Eagle, brought a long stick, he rubbed down along here with the stick on the belly of the woman, with the stick he forced those tiny skunks out of her. (3) The wee things crawled about. The woman came, Eagle took her, they climbed up above, he magically wished and created the cliff standing there. There they sat up above, and the cliff could not be descended now. 12. While seated up there they saw Skunk coming running with a pack. When he arrived with it he unloaded the pack of deer. "Take it inside, older brother!" (2) No one there. He went into the house. Nothing there. He noticed the little things crawling about, tci'ktci'ktci'k they sounded. He asked them, "Where did your mother go to, my sons?" (3) Skunk got his children together in his hand, he took them outside, he found a Douglas fir with a fire hole in it, he placed the children in it there. (4) When he emerged, he searched for tracks everywhere on the trail, (to find) where the woman and he, both of them, had gone. Skunk ran here and there, everywhere, he searched for their tracks. (5) He came down to the stream where they obtained water, and then he saw Eagle and the woman laughing below there in the river. Skunk turned, he discharged his musk, plop! at the water. When he turned he saw they were still there laughing. Again he discharged at them, as many as five times. 13. Eagle called from above, "What's the matter ? what are you doing ?" to Skunk. "Oh, I am having some fun, older brother!" Then Skunk saw, "They are up above! What's happened to you, older brother?" (2) They had climbed up (they said). "I tied myself about the waist, and with buttocks upwards, I pulled myself

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up, rectum up." (3) Older brother threw a (woven) belt down to him. Skunk tied it around himself at the waist, it pulled his buttocks up when it turned him around, they drew him up, they lifted him into the air. 14. "How far am I now, older brother ?" — "Youarestillfaraway." Then they pulled him up. "How far am I now, older brother ?" — "You are still far away." (2) Then they pulled him up. "How far am I now, older brother ?" — "You are still quite far away." Then Eagle took a rock, a long round rock, and he made it hot. "How far am I now, older brother ?" — (3) "You are still quite far away." When he came rather near now, his anus sac became just ready to discharge musk. He was going to discharge it at them. "How far am I now, older brother ?" — "You are still quite far away." (4) Now (he was) near, (he was) right close by now, he said to the woman, "Look at your man! that is the way your (husband) is!" (5) Right close by now, nearly there, Eagle took the hot rock, the anus was becoming just ready to discharge musk, he thrust the rock inside him there. He (Skunk) let go, and then Skunk fell, to the very same place again, unconscious. There he lay. 15. When he came to, he no longer had his musk sac, it had fallen into the stream, it had drifted to a country far, far away. Yonder there strange people, many of them, had found that sac. (2) The people were having a rollicking time with it, they were rolling it. Skunk made a raft, he drifted down along the river, he looked for the sac, wherever it may have caught as it floated along. 16. As he went along people were crying, they were living there. "Where are you journeying, Skunk ? I t is being said that people are having a big time with your musk sac." (2) He drifted on. As he went along he saw people dwelling there. They came down to the water towards him. "Where are you journeying, your honor ? I t is being said that people are having a big time with your nice and precious thing." (3) He drifted along. When they came down to the water towards him, they said to him, "Where are you journeying, Skunk ? I t is being said that the people are having a big time with your musk sac." (4) When at the last ones now, they said to him, "Where are you journeying, your honor? The people are having a big time with your very nice and precious thing." 17. Going along Skunk heard "wa-'-'a'a'a!" loudly. He went to the shore there, he came ashore, and saw, "Yes. The people are having a fine time." lu'xlu'xlu'xlu'xlu'x (it sounded), to the place where that musk sac finally went (at the end of the field). (2) Then they went homewards, they took it along, they took it home with

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them. Skunk dug a hole at the very place where it went at the end. There he got into it hind up, he covered himself completely out of sight, only his anus in view. 18. When the sun rose, he heard, "They sound as if they were coming again." When they came, they hit and rolled that musk sac. When that sac passed by his anus, it opened and shut. (2) His sac passed his anus as many as five times. And then it came and fell into it, it shut on it at once, away he ran, "ya"a'a'a""'a'a! 8i cl ft"" 81 !" (3) "He's running away with our valuable thing!" They pursued him. But then they said to one another, " L o o k o u t ! I t is his own. L o o k o u t ! Let him alone!" 19. He went up river with it. Again at the place where they had called out to him, "Where are you journeying, Skunk?" Skunk went into a house, he said, " I have much news. (2) All of you come assemble in one house." When all had gathered together, Skunk was to relate it to them. He said, " I am going outside." When he had gotten to the door, he discharged musk at them from there. (3) They all died when he discharged his musk at the people. He took all their valuable possessions from their houses, he put them into a sack, he packed away those things of value. 20. Those who had said to him, "Where are you journeying, your honor ?" he passed them without discharging musk at them. When they said to him, "Did you find the nice precious thing?" he said to them, " I found it." (2) And he went right on upstream then in that manner. All those persons who had said to him, "Where are you journeying, your honor ?" those he passed by without discharging musk at them. (3) He discharged musk at those who had said to him, "Where are you journeying, Skunk?" He discharged at such ones, he took all their valuables, and went on. 21. He had passed all the people. I t became heavy, packing the valuables. Skunk said, " I am becoming hungry." He said, "What thing could vanquish me, of whatever might encounter me on the trail, except a Whistler person ?"x Frost was traveling about there. (2) He thought, "Skunk is meeting me now." He wished himself as if dead, Frost lay there all maggoty. When Skunk found him on his way he took him, he cleaned him of his maggots, he cast away the maggots. (3) " I am so very hungry, I'll roast it." He (Frost) wished himself to have a great many more maggots. (4) He 1

According to interpreter Eyley Jr. the st'iyaha' or kwi-kwiya'i ("Whistler") people are beings who sleep in daytime but go about at night. Night is day to them. A child is admonished not to speak of them by their right name, st'iyaha', lest they hear, take sharp notice, come and capture a person, and cause temporary disappearance or death.

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left it, he threw it away. " I am so very hungry now." He turned back, he took it again, he packed it, he took it along. 22. As he went along Skunk said, "The only thing that could vanquish me is a Whistler person." That is what he had said to him, to Frost person. Then Frost person thought, "I'll whistle at him now." (2) He made J . . 1 " H a ! " He ran with his pack. "Whistler has met me!" When he went along slowly, it made J # to him. He ran along, he ran with the pack, he ran far, far away. (3) He quit, he went along slowly. He (Frost) thought, he would remain alive. So, Jm. Then Skunk ran on. And so he did it to him, J J J. He ran along with the pack. He did it to him, J J J J J J, he ran on with the pack, he whistled to him, J J J J J J J J J J (4) He hastily dropped it all, valuables and everything. It chased him, J J J J J J J J J J J J J . His valuable possessions now were Frost person's. 23. So then.

9. Coyote borrows B r e a k W i n d ' s a n u s , t o s s e s up his e y e s , r e t r i e v e s t h e m , a s s a u l t s old women, d e c e i v e s a g i r l s e e k i n g power. 2 1. When Coyote was traveling, he encountered Break Wind boy. Break Wind boy had arrow in hand, target in hand. When he threw the target, pu-" 3 Break Wind boy broke wind, the boy did so when he shot at it. (2) pu", five arrows he had, pu" he shot them at the target, when he had shot at and hit it with the fire arrows, he would go on. pu'pu'pu'pu'pu'pu'pu". He stooped, pu", he threw it, pu", he shot at it, pu", all five arrows he shot at it. 2. When Coyote met him, he said to him, "Your thing is fine for a gathering of people. Give it to me." — "Why no. I want mine myself." He told him, at a move, it made pu". (2) " B u t do give it to me now." He pleaded for it. "I'll give it to you then," he said to him. The breaking of wind was making the boy tired now, (so) he gave it all to Coyote, bow, arrows, target. 3. He said to him, "Come now, throw i t ! " Skunk 4 threw it, 1 2

3 4

Musical notes give approximate renderings of the whistling of Frost Person. Told July 1928, translated with Eyley J r . , in December 1931. The eye juggling episode occurs in Hunt, myth 36, p. 100. The same and other episodes appear in the fourth myth of Eyley J r , p. 109. In falsetto, each time. Of course to say Skunk (tiska'ya) is a slip in speech: Yoke should have said Coyote (spilya'i).

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pu". "Come now, shoot at it!" he said to him. Coyote shot at it, pu', all five arrows, and, pu'pu'pu'. (2) The boy said to Coyote, "Go along now!" Coyote went, pu'pu'pu'. "Now I am going away," the boy told him. The boy ran on, he ran away as fast as he could. 4. When Coyote made a move, pu', he threw it, pu', he shot at it, pu', all five arrows, pu'pu'pu'pu'pu'. When he went on, pu'pu'pu'pu'pu'pu'j5u'. In no long time his rectum became sore. (2) Now, prrrfrrrrrr (rapid explosions), and then Coyote ran on in the same direction the boy had run. He followed him, pu'pu'pu', he called to him, "Where are you ? (3) I want to return your breaking of wind to you again." Though he shouted and shouted, the boy did not answer. Coyote now felt very ill with his rectum. He remained absolutely still, (but) when he moved, prrrrrrrrrr. 5. He lay down, and he thought, "I will defecate and have it figured out." (2) He had two younger sisters, the sisters were Pine Nut and Huckleberry. He defecated them. "Nowthen! You will explain, my younger sisters, how I have become like this." — (3) "Think it out yourself now! You will say, 'That is just how I had been forgetting!'" — "t' u t' u t' u , tell! tell! tell!" — "Be careful! older brother! be careful! older brother!" (4) That is how Coyote asked for (threatened) rain. "That powerful boy is Break Wind. You should throw away bow, arrows and target there." — (5) "That is just what I had been forgetting, my two younger sisters." When he threw them away, he went on, without breaking wind. 6. Coyote went on then. He stood, he poked out an eye on one side, then both of them, he played, he stood, he put both back in again. That is just how he did it. (2) When he was playing, Buzzard was traveling high above. He caught his eyes, he carried them away. Coyote stood there a long time, but his eyes were gone. 7. When Coyote went on, he would seize a stick, "Who are you, indeed V' When he asked, he would be told, "It is I." 1 (He asked) every stick (tree). (And) it would say to him, "It is I." (2) He put his hand on it, "Who are you, indeed ?" — "I am xa'liya flower." He pulled two of them, put them in, made eyes of them. He saw everything very clearly. (3) He went on, I do not know how long a time, and then they wilted. He threw them away. He pulled fresh ones, put them in, made eyes of them. 8. There a man, xwi-'l Bird, was hunting. He said to him, "Let us trade eyes." He replied to him, "All right." Coyote had said to xwi-'l Bird, "There are mountain goats standing in a bunch." (2) He pointed them out to him, but xwi-'l Bird did not see them. 1

Each thing would tell its name to Coyote.

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He said to him. "Look with these eyes of mine, while you give me yours!" (3) Coyote gave them to him, he put in xwi-'l Bird's eyes. He pointed out to him, "Those are the ones! look!" He went away to hunt. Then, " I will be waiting for you here. If you shoot them. I will come to meet you." Then xwi-'l Bird went away, he hunted them. (4) No sooner had xwi-'l Bird boy gone, than Coyote dashed away, he ran away with those eyes. (5) When xwi-'l Bird went on, those eyes of xwi-'l Bird's wilted, xwi-'l bird went off into the thickets, he lost his way because he could not see where he was going. Meantime, Coyote had gone away. 9. Coyote went on, as he went along he heard t u x- (noise of roots being ground in a mortar). Smoke was issuing from a house. He at length reached that place, an old woman was grinding ma'tct roots, she was blind, (she had) no eyes, her limbs were cloaked here.1 (2) "Ah! old woman! so you are grinding ma'tct roots, old woman." The old woman replied to him, " Y e s . " "Are you quite alone ?" (3) "Yes indeed. My five granddaughters have been going away. Buzzard took Coyote's eyes, with them the people are enjoying themselves. That is assuredly where my granddaughters have been going." (4) Thereupon Coyote beat and slew the old woman. The old woman had on a small hat. He carried her away, he hid the old woman. (5) Coyote put on the old woman's cloak, and all those garments and things of hers. He wished himself to become exactly like the old woman. Then Coyote ground roots, t u x. 10. He heard the sound of the unmarried granddaughters approaching, "hahahahahe'i," as they came along they were laughing. The oldest one reached him. "My grandmother has been grinding and grinding." (2) "Ah, granddaughter. I have been grinding." All the granddaughters went in. I t was the youngest granddaughter who knew, " I t is certainly not my grandmother." (3) When the granddaughters were beginning to eat the ma'tct roots, the youngest knew, " I t is certainly not my grandmother, she is strange and different." (4) The oldest one said to her, "They say that tomorrow you are to go. Your nephews want you, and they say we are to carry you on our backs and bring you along." (5) The old woman (said), "Oh!" — "They say you may handle Coyote's eyes too." They slept through the night. 11. The sun rose. Then the oldest one carried him on her back. "Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch! a little lower! a little lower!" The one next to the oldest said to her, "You are hurting our grandmother." (2) They made it (the pack strap) a little longer and lower down. "Now how is that, grandmother ?" — "That's just fine now, grand1

Translation inadequate.

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daughter!" (3) The granddaughter packed him along. Coyote desired copulation, he shoved it into the granddaughter. "Dear, oh dear! with what are you doing it to me, grandmother 1" — (4) "With a protuberance (on my body). When you yourself have become an old woman, you will have protuberances (on your body)." She went on with him then, she packed him along, as they went along he did it to her. Then she became tired because of her grandmother on her back, she set him down. 12. Another one carried him on her back. As they went along he shoved it into his granddaughter. "Dear, oh dear! With what is that, grandmother ?" — ("I am doing it) to you with a protuberance (on my body). (2) When you yourself have become an old woman, (you will) have protuberances." The granddaughter continued packing him along, as they went along he did it to her, as they went along he copulated with her. She became tired of it. 13. Another one packed him along, in precisely the same manner he shoved it into her as they went along. "I (am doing it) to you with a protuberance (on my body). You yourself will also become an old woman, with protuberances (on your body)." (2) She packed him along, again he did it to her as they went, he copulated with her from behind. When tired out she set him down. 14. Then another one now carried him on her back. As they went along he did it to her in the very same manner, as they went along he inserted it in her, he did it to the granddaughter right as they went along. That one was the fourth to carry him. They were carrying along their grandmother! 15. "Yes yes! now let the youngest carry me!" She set him down. They said to her, "Now you also carry your grandmother on your back!" The youngest one told them, the youngest one told her older sisters, "Carry her on your backs yourselves! She's only your (not my) grandmother!" (2) The oldest one carried her on her back again, and then they arrived where those people were gathered. 16. There was a long house, a great many people were there, they were passing and carrying around Coyote's eyes. When they brought the old woman into the house, the nephews said to them, "Bring her here to the center!" — "No! nephews! I will sit near the door there." 17. Then Coyote saw, "My eyes!" Ah, they passed those eyes around, then to the old woman's place, Coyote held the eyes, "My own, hurrah! my own, hurrah!"1 — "What does she say?" (2) "She says, 'They are my own eyes!' " — "Why not at all! Nono! This is what she says, 'I wish these eyes would be mine.'" They 1

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passed them round and round, four times in that manner, "My own, hurrah!" — (3) "But she does say, 'They are my own e y e s ! ' " — " N o t at all! She says, 'I wish they would be my own eyes!'" They passed them around, they had all of them handled them, then they gave them to Coyote. 18. The old woman seized the eyes, inserted one clink! on one side, she did it to both of them, she arose, Coyote ran out, ran away, "ya"a"a"a-'--u! ya"a"a"a-'--u!" — "He is running away with our valuable thing! But take care! they are his own eyes." (2) He ran far away. There Coyote halted and stood, he called out to the women, the ones who had carried him on their backs, "You will place your infants on cradle boards, you will use diapers, you will put mine on cradle boards." 1 (3) They were told by the youngest one, the one who had not carried him on her back, "Hear him! You were really carrying Coyote on your backs, you were really carrying Coyote. Hear what he tells you!" Coyote went on. 19. Those women reached their home there. They searched for their grandmother, they found her placed underneath a log, dead. The granddaughters wept there then. They took and put away their grandmother, they buried her. 20. Coyote went on. He went far, far away, when he found there were two women, exceedingly old women. He said to them, "Look! troublemakers are journeying along!" 2 (2) They (the old women) were also going along on canes. Coyote magically wished (persons, not grasshoppers) to be traveling along. "Quickly snatch one, to be your slave! they are troublemakers who are going along. Now go!" 1 (3) One woman said to the oth erone, "You yourself go!" — "Now they have face paint on!" 1 — "Here is where we go!" Said Coyote, "They are traveling to there yonder, indeed. There they go." 1 They went far along. (4) He said, "Let's prepare for action!" 1 Then the old woman made a leap at him, she ran ! 3 Said Coyote, "(Do it) shortly now, from behind, (with a) y a " a " a " a - ' " u ! " (5) That was how he had her prepare, she was to turn on it from behind. "Then you will do it (with a) y a " a " a " a - ' - u ! " When she turned back on it, Coyote seized and hugged her, from behind, 'She is seizing the slave !"* There he inserted it into the old woman. (6) When he finished copulating, he pushed the old woman away. 1 2

3

Translation inadequate. Uttered in the quavering ministerial monotone chant of Coyote. The "troublemakers" are probably grasshoppers whom Coyote has transformed into the appearance of persons, in order to deceive the impoverished old women. The literal translation of the text is somewhat inadequate. In the monotone chant of Coyote.

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"Go far away now!" When he finished doing it to her. copulating with her, the old woman went on, she went back to where she had obtained the face paint. (7) When it had become dry, she returned home. Again at that place, she said, 'It really must have been Coyote." 21. Meantime Coyote had gone on. As he went along he came upon an old woman and her granddaughter, the woman was unmarried, she was the old woman's granddaughter. (2) Said Coyote, "You are an orphan, motherless, fatherless. You should go seek a guardian spirit power." He said it to the unmarried girl. (3) The old woman told her granddaughter, "He is telling you the right thing." — "You should go to yonder peaked mountain. When you see a red thing sticking out, that thing is a power. You will find there is a little hilly site there."

22. Coyote went away, he ran along, he reached that place, he dug a hole there, he got into it, he covered himself over. It was he who was the little hilly place, there the red thing (his penis) stuck out. (2) The girl went away, when she at length arrived at that place, she saw, "Here is where that thing is. The red thing is sticking out there." (3) The woman lifted her dress, she looked about, Coyote said to her, "Masturbate there on the power!" So the woman masturbated on it there, he raised up towards her, he hugged her, she "received" the guardian spirit power. (4) He copulated with the unmarried woman. When they finished doing it there, he said to the girl, "They sent you to your power." He said to her, "Go homewards! begone!" The woman went away in tears. Crying, she reached her grandmother. " I t must have been Coyote indeed!" 23. So now then.

TWO K I T T I T A S MYTHS Mrs. Dan Secena Mrs. Secena (wa'xemlut) is natively of the pcwa'nwapam, the most northerly band of Sahaptins who used to live near Ellensburg, Kittitas County, Washington. Mis. Secena is a dignified, energetic, socially active woman of about sixty years of age; she speaks several Washington coast Salish dialects about as well as the pcwa'nwapam (Kittitas) Sahaptin speech of her childhood. She is now a well traveled and respected shaman and is married to a Chehalis (coast Salish) Indian. Her blind son Jonas was Chehalis informant and interpreter for Dr. Adamson and Dr. Boas in 1926 and 1927; it was through theee scholars that I met Mrs. Secena in August 1927 and recorded, for linguistic purposes, in several evenings at the Secena home near Oakville. Though Mrs. Secena now uses the pcwa'nwapam dialect infrequently, she dictated rapidly, evenly, and clearly; the upper Cowlitz interpreter, Eyley Jr., translated.

1. A d v e n t u r e s of m i s c h i e v o u s t r a n s f o r m e r Coyote. 1. The Eagle people dwelt there, they had made a fish dam in the river, and near it they had closed off the river, so that not a Chinook salmon went on upstream. (2)Up the river the people were hungry. Coyote thought, " I will go and destroy the fish dam, so that the Chinook salmon may go on upstream." (3) Coyote himself reached there, he destroyed the fish dam, and then the Chinook salmon went on upstream. The Eagle people were angry, they fought Coyote, they beat him with sticks. (4) But Coyote said, "The fish dam must never be shut, that fish dam must remain open, so that those people above river may eat." Coyote did indeed do good then. 2. Coyote himself went on upstream, he reached those people upriver, they were angry with him. They said to him, "Why did you have the river shut ?" Coyote said, "Not I, but the Eagle people shut the river." They did not fight him then. 3. He went on, he came to a house. At that place they said to him, "Who shut the river? We are hungry for Chinook salmon." Coyote said, "Not I. The Eagle people shut the river. They made a fish dam, and it shut it. I told them to open it, and then the Chinook salmon came here." 4. Coyote himself went back again, again he reached the fish dam there, when he arrived, that dam was closed. He spoke as follows, 15

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"Up yonder the people are hungry now." (2) They fought and thrashed Coyote. "Why are you traveling about. Coyote ? and making up false stories? you are a mischievous rascal." (3) They thrashed him, they threw him into the river, and then Coyote floated down the river. But he got to the shore of the river again, he went once again to the fish dam, he broke through the dam. (4) Coyote spoke in this manner, "The river must not be closed anywhere!" He destroyed it. He was angry, because they had thrashed him. 5. Then Coyote went far away, he went far away down river, he came to people. At that place there was one person making a canoe, that person was biting the wood, indeed. (2) Coyote saw that person, Coyote said, "Oh, man, do not do it like that! I will prepare (some things) for you, with which you may construct the canoe." (3) Coyote went away, he found a very good rock, he went to the man, he gave him that rock, and he gave him a sharp stone, with them the man constructed the canoe, he did not bite that canoe, he made that canoe by using stones. 6. Coyote said, " I will be going towards home now." Coyote went on, he went towards home. Two men found him, they said to him, "You yourself are Coyote ?" He said, " Y e s ! I myself am Coyote." — (2) "You yourself have been putting everything to rights, you, Coyote ?" Coyote said, " I myself have been putting everything to rights." (3) Then they fought with him and thrashed him, they wanted to thrash Coyote, because, they said, he had broken through the fish dam. "You area mischievous rascal!" they said to Coyote. — (4) But Coyote said then, " I t is not right that you obstruct the river. The river must be open through all the time, so that everyone may eat Chinook salmon." That was what Coyote did. They left him. 7. Coyote went far, far away. Then again he reached a place where a fish dam obstructed it. They were afraid of Coyote, they said, "Coyote has come." He broke through the fish dam. (2) They said to Coyote, "Come, Coyote, to the house, and eat Chinook salmon." Coyote said, " I shall not eat." He went away, when he passed the fish dam they came to Coyote. "Why will you not eat ?" (3) Then Coyote turned back, he went along, entered the house. But one old woman advised him, "Oh, they might kill you. Go out again!" Coyote did go out, he was afraid. 8. He had gone far away on his journey homewards, when he came to entirely different people, a great number of people. They said to him, "What are you doing, Coyote 1 What do you seek ?" — (2) "Oh," said Coyote. "We were five, they killed us, and I am

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all alone now, I, Coyote. They killed them. Here I had a younger brother, here I had a younger brother, here was my older brother, they killed them all, and now I, Coyote, am all alone. (3) That is why I am going here and there, I am a poor fellow, I, Coyote." After that the people took pity on him. Coyote stayed there at the place of the people. (4) The people played there, they made some sort of plaything. Coyote went there, Coyote himself stole that plaything, he leaped away with their (thing), he stole that plaything from the people. He went far away. 9. He came to a great number of people. Coyote said, " I have a fine plaything, I, Coyote. Look at i t ! " They played, a great many of them played. They said, "Coyote's plaything is fine. (2) Coyote is a fine fellow, he has a fine doll for a plaything." They played and played. Men reached them, "Oh! Here is Coyote who stole it from us, Coyote ran away with our plaything." (3) They took it away from him again. Coyote wept there, "That plaything is mine." But they took it away from him again. From that place Coyote went on, he went far away. 10. He came to an old man, and he spoke to him in this fashion, "What means do you use to cross to the other side V' The old man replied to him, "There is a foot log bridge yonder, you may cross over at that place." Coyote himself went, he crossed over. 11. When he came to the opposite side, he reached a number of people. They said to him there, "You are Coyote!" He said, "Yes. I myself am Coyote." (2) They said to him, "Go back again! You're no good. You're a mischievous rascal." (3) After a silence, he said there, "Oh! That is not the way the law will be! When a man arrives, they will not want to drive him back to the place of his own people." Then they said to him, "Better remain here!" That is what they said to Coyote. (4) Coyote stayed there then. "They will never cross a river on a log, only by canoe will they cross a river, though I crossed to here on a log." (5) Coyote said, " I will make you a canoe." Coyote constructed a canoe, he placed that canoe in the water, in order to go across the river by canoe. Coyote himself remained there. Then he went far away. 12. When he had gone far away, he reached different people at a place there, strangely different the people were. Coyote said, "Do not do it in that manner. You are (too) different." They were different people. When Coyote straightened it out, they became good normal people. He left them there then. 13. He went to a country far, far away. He reached them, the ones he reached were acting quite differently. They said to him, "You are Coyote. What are you doing?" (2) Coyote said, "Oh, I 15«

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just go here and there. I am poor, and so I go here and there." Coyote said, "Where does this road lead ?" (3) They told him, "Do not go,Coyote, in that direction. They might kill you on the way." (4) Coyote said, "There is no kind of dangerous thing that could kill me. I myself am likewise a dangerous being, (I) Coyote." Coyote went on. "What sort of dangerous thing is like that, that could kill me?" 14. Coyote himself went on, he approached that place of people. Those dangerous beings became aware, "What smells ? It smells bad. Something must be traveling towards here. Fix that thing, so that we can throw Coyote in there." (2) Coyote approached, they saw Coyote, they said to him, "Oh dear! come here! oh dear! friend!" They said to Coyote, "I have been longing for you a long long time, friend! come here!" Coyote went. (3) That dangerous being said, "Prepare food! you will serve it to my friend." They said to Coyote, "Come here to this spread." Coyote himself went, they had him sit down there, five persons went to him, they seized Coyote, they made him senseless, they were putting him into where it was hot, they were going to eat him. (4) Then Coyote spoke, "That is what I thought. Nothing could eat me." Then they (again) made Coyote senseless. (5) But Coyote did not die, at once he leaped high up, they almost caught Coyote, but they did not kill him, he went outside, Coyote leaped high up. 15. He went on again, Coyote went on towards home. Coyote went far far away. People found him. "You must have gone to the place of the dangerous ones on the opposite side." (2) Coyote went on then. "I'm on my way coming back home again." Oh, Coyote is mischievous, to be sure. Coyote is forever going here, going there, Coyote is mischievous now, Coyote sets everything to rights, but he is indeed mischievous. (3) Coyote said, "I am going on my way back home." He went on, Coyote went homewards. He arrived far away, at the place where the house was, his own house. There was nothing there. Then Coyote cried there, "Why do I have to be all alone, all by myself, Coyote ? poor, poor me!" He wept. 16. He went on again from there to a place of the people, he reached the people's place there. They said, "Coyote is no good, this Coyote is continually going around here and there." Coyote said there, "What am I to do ? I am only a poor fellow." (2) Then Coyote spoke as follows, "But I am a man too. I have been traveling here and there because I am a man. I am going back to my house now. The people do not want me any more." He went far away to his own house, when he reached his house, he remained quietly at the house (henceforth).

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2. Coon boy k i l l s Grizzly swallower, he and his grandm o t h e r kill food swallower. 1 1. The old woman Wren and her grandson dwelt there. Her grandson was coon, Wren was that aforesaid old woman. They used to go away and gather acorns. When they gathered acorns, they put them in a large number (of receptacles). (2) Coon and his grandmother brought them to the house, and then they had a great many acorns. They cooked them, baked them in hot rocks, and collected quantities of the acorns in heaps. (3) Coon himself would go and steal his grandmother's acorns. His grandmother said to him, "Do not steal those acorns!" But coon himself went, took the acorns away, poured them into the river, and the acorns floated away in the river. (4) I t was nice to coon to see the acorns (floating away). He said, "Only a little while now." Then his grandmother noticed it, "There are only a few acorns left now. (5) Apparently coon himself must be the cause of the acorns' disappearance." Coon himself came to the house. As she sat there his grandmother saw him, "He is taking acorns." (6) The old woman watched coon take away acorns, he took them to the river. "Oh! rascal of a coon!" The old woman took a club, went on, reached him, seized coon, beat him, struck him, whipped him, there she left him, she threw coon down. (7) Coon went on, coon went to the river, he washed his face, he saw, "Why it is just like me there in the water." Coon wept, when he saw his face in the water. Coon went far away from there. 2. He came to a large river. He saw a dangerous being there. The dangerous being said to him, "What are you doing, boy ?" — ' I am not doing anything." (2)"0h," he said. The dangerous being was about to swallow coon. For some time the dangerous being called and called to him. Coon searched for a stone, a very good sharp stone, he obtained such a stone, he put it right there (in his garments). (3) I t came to him, "Oh you rascally boy! come here!" It seized him, held him, swallowed him. Coon himself cut with this stone at his heart, he cut at it five times, and then coon came out of him, the fifth one, and he had killed the dangerous being, that was where he killed him. (4) He fell down, that dangerous being died, coon had killed the dangerous being. Coon himself went on towards home. 3. He heard the old woman, the old woman was weeping. "Oh 1

This narrative bears dim resemblances to certain other Sahaptin myths. The following may be compared: myth seven by Eyley J r . (p. 113) and myth two by J i m Yoke (p. 179); also Northwest Sahaptin Texts, 1, pp. 183, 219.

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it was not right of me to have caused the death of coon." The old woman wept. Coon himself (said), "I'll sing as I go along, 'I killed the dangerous being!'" (2) Then the old woman said, "Oh, that coon is talking nonsense! He is lying. He never could have killed the dangerous being. Coon is lying." At length he reached his grandmother. (3) He said, " I did kill the dangerous being." The old woman said, "Did you really kill the dangerous being ? you are not lying ?" Coon replied, " I did kill the dangerous being." (4) The old woman said then, "Oh, you must go and seek the people, that they may butcher the dangerous thing." Many people butchered that dangerous thing. (5) The old woman herself distributed among the people the meat of the dangerous thing. But coon indeed wanted all of it himself, coon did not want to share it with the people, he wanted it. They had a great quantity of food there now. 4. One man came to them there. Because coon used to travel here and there. Coon said, "Why dear me! we have quantities of acorns, we have quantities of food." When that man arrived, he ate. (2) He said, "What kinds of food do you have in quantity?" Coon said, " I have quantities of food for you." Coon gave him food, that man ate a great quantity of it, again coon gave him food, the man ate all of it quickly, quickly that food, meat, acorns, was all gone, it all went rapidly the same way. (3) The old woman cried, "Oh! coon is a rascal. The man will eat up all our food." Then the man did eat all their food. The man must certainly have been a dangerous being. The old woman wept there. 5. After some time another man reached them, he took pity on the old woman. "Oh! coon is a rascal. He had him eat a quantity of the food, and now because of that man the food is all gone." (2) That man said, "Go far away! old woman!" He was going to kill the eater. The old woman went far away, the old woman left her house. (3) When that man came, he said to coon, "Go look for pitch!" The man said that to coon. There they sealed the house. When the man who was the eater was asleep in there, they set it on fire, that man burned up the house, the eater burned there, the man died there. (4) Coon searched for his grandmother, coon found his grandmother. That man, the eater, had burned up. Then that (other) man made another house again for them. 6. They said of coon, "Coon is very bad. I just wonder. The dangerous man ate up all the food of the old woman." Coon said to the old woman, " I am not going to go away." (2) But Coon himself did go far away, he left his grandmother, coon was angry. The old woman was now all alone by herself in the house, while coon had gone far away. (3) Coon stayed away now. "Oh it is a pity

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that I left the old woman, my grandmother. I'll go back home again." Coon went towards home, as he went along he heard the old woman weeping and weeping. (4) "Oh old woman! the old woman has no more food of any kind!" When Coon arrived, coon said, "Let us go yonder. There are a great many Chinook salmon there." (5) They went away then, they arrived at the place where there were many Chinook salmon. The people shared the food with them, they stayed a long time at that place. Then they went away again, they went homewards, they arrived at home. 7. One man was there at the old woman's house. Upon their arrival the man said, "What do you have for food ?" Coon replied, "We have a great many Chinook salmon for food." (2) The old woman was angry. "Again coon wants to share food with the man." He said to him, "Where is your food ? Give it to me!" Coon shared the food with him, and in no long time he had eaten it all. (3) Then the old woman cried, and the old woman (thought), " I may as well go far away now." The old woman did go far away, while coon liimself (remained) at that place. 8. When the old woman was going on a man encountered the old woman and that man said to her, "Where is coon?" "Oh! I left coon. He was sharing the food with a man." (2) That man spoke as follows, "Oh, when coon's food is all gone, the dangerous being will devour coon." Then the old woman wept there. "Yes indeed, the dangerous being will eat coon too." Then when he had shared the food with him, the dangerous being did devour coon, it did devour coon then. 9. All of that now.

PART 2 TALES AND MISCELLANEOUS TEXTS

A COWLITZ STORY Told in upper Cowlitz by Mrs. Mary Eyley 1. When kalxa'yim1 was a girl, her father's sister sent her away, and so she went far away to the mountains.2 At that place she camped through the night, she stayed all through the day, she camped through the night, and came back again. (2) They lived there. At that place (in the mountains) there had been a large rotten (fallen) log, they walked along it there. She was traveling along, she had gone half way along the log, when she saw a white headed old man coming approaching on the log. (3) He took her, "Oh my grandchild," he said to her, he took her into his house. " I am your grandfather! This is how old a woman you will become, with a white head (of hair). (4) You will have a male child who will be a courageous fighter, you will have a female child who will be a shaman. I am of great value, but should you mock me, you will never have a husband, so long a time, and then you will die all alone, if ever you mock me." 3 2. There they were, when they moved away to the mountains. Her father's sister said to her, "Go to the lake tsala'li-ql (a lake near Cinnabar Mt. at the head of the Chehalis River, Washington) to swim!" (2) They said to her, "You are to swim across to the rock, you are to stay there on the rock through the night." She reached there, she feared the water, "Now I wonder where I am to swim across to." (3) Then she saw it, "Now I'll swim over to there." She swam across to the rock, and there she stayed through the night, and slept on the rock. (4) When she awoke, far yonder was the sun, the sun was low down there. When she awoke, she was (already) ashore from that rock, when she awoke, she had blood on her nose, she had blood on her mouth, when she awoke, she sat up, and fell down again. (5) Then at length she succeeded in sitting up, she washed her face, went away, went towards 1 2

3

The Cowlitz Indian name of the mother of Mrs. Minnie Case. Note that this dictation is of txa'nat ("happening", "occurrence") character, that is, it is a modern historical narrative, not a wat'i't'ac ( " m y t h " ) . I t is a story about the guardian spirit powers of Mrs. Eyley's aunt, who was the mother of Mrs. Case. She had a penis power from the old man.

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home, reached her house, lay down, went to sleep, slept through the night. They could not awaken her, all day long she slept, she slept through the night, she slept two nights at the house, she did not eat, and she did not wake up. 3. Then they fetched a shaman, the shaman arrived, and he doctored her. He told them, "It (the power she encountered at the rock) did not like her power" (her first, penis power). (2) The shaman said to her, "A different one (the one at the rock) picked you up. Apparently that other one (penis) must remain yours now." Then he fixed for her both that one (her soul) and her doctoring power (penis). 4. Later on when an old woman she found the "pick-up" (power of a recently deceased person) guardian-spirit-power of her older brother, that was the one (the power) that had carried her away (from the rock to the shore). (2) She was continually ailing, it would happen now and then, she would lose consciousness (faint). She went away to pick blackberries. (3) At the place where she was picking blackberries, she saw a woman, the woman was seated. The woman said to her, "You see me for the very last time now, this is the last time you will be picking me, you will never pick me again. (4) You yourself have shortened your life, and you are dying, it will not be a long time." It turned around as it sat there, and she saw of a sudden that it was a blackberry. (5) Why then, it apparently was only a blackberry! and it was that very thing that had just spoken to her. 5. She became tired, she went away, she went towards home, she carried the picked berries in a basket, she reached the fire place, and she told about it to her companion. (2) "Indeed, it was blackberry who spoke to me. I have picked blackberries for the last time. That is what blackberry told me." Then she became ill there at the blackberrying place, (but) her companion doctored her, and cured her.

COWLITZ ETHNOLOGIC NOTES Told in upper Cowlitz by Mrs. Mary Eyley Since Mrs. Eyley has given Cowlitz ethnographic materials to Dr. Thelma Adamson, the following brief dictations are offered only for what they were obtained in the field: to observe linguistic and stylistic phenomena employed by the native language when materials other than myths were subjects of discourse. Mrs. Eyley's son, Sam N. Eyley Jr., translated.

1. The (lower) Cowlitz Indians (t'lkwi'lipam) had long houses, ten families dwelt in one house. They dried Chinook salmon at the place where the fish dam was, they killed them at the fish dam. (2) That was their winter food. The women dug all sorts of roots, they dug camas roots, qa'ls roots. They dried them, in the winter time they ate them. (3) The women dried blackberries, elderberries, salalberries, all sorts of food, hazel nuts, were prepared for their winter diet. (4) They moved to kawa'swai for hazel nuts and for salalberries, for their winter food. They also gathered small huckleberries there, the women dried the huckleberries for their winter store of food. (5) The women gathered cedar bark, they shredded(?) the cedar bark, they made string of it, the women made short skirts, the women dressed in that. That was the sort of home life the Cowlitz had. 2. They traveled here and there by canoe, they collected foods, they speared spawning calico salmon, there once in a while they would be drowned, and also when they were at the salmon dam they would be drowned. (2) Smelts themselves came up river indeed, the smelts occasionally would reach Cowlitz Prairie, and they would catch them. (3) Once in a while they died from smelts. When they caught them, they were always fearful of the smelts, because a great many died from smelts. 3. This is the way we poor Cowlitz were brought up long ago. The Cowlitz traded for all kinds of food with the upper Cowlitz people (ta'iDnapam), so that they could eat huckleberries. (2) In that manner they gave a woman to the man (upper Cowlitz) hunters in return for food, because the ta'iDnapam always had a great deal of food, meat of deer and elk, all sorts of things. (3) For it the Cowlitz gave a woman to the ta'iDnapam hunters, it made no difference to them, though they were ashamed of it. They gave a woman or a man to the ta'iDnapam for food.

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4. Long ago the Cowlitz had no matches. They would get dry, tough cottonwood roots, they dried short willow branches, with them they made fire. (2) They would have green cedar bark, they would put fire down below in it where it was rotting. (3) When they traveled to a distance, they would take it out at where they were camping overnight, they would merely blow and blow on it, and they would build a fire with it. That is how the Cowlitz were at hunting. 5. When those Cowlitz people sang tamanwis songs in the winter time, they made poking sticks (carved staffs five or six feet long), some of them were long. (2) The house would resound with them, when they drummed with them on the house (floor or ceiling). (3) They were made as short as a person, and the modeled poking stick would move about and dance, when they sang tamanwis songs, they were made like persons, they danced. 6. When the people danced, women on one side, men on the other side, the men went around, the women would go around behind, they danced when they sang tamanwis songs. (2) They would halt for a while, and eat before going on. They would eat salmon eggs, soaked camas, they would eat qa'ls roots, they would eat dry fish. (3) When they finished eating, they would sing tamanwis songs. That was the custom of the Cowlitz people, that was their way, the Cowlitz people's. The upper Cowlitz people said they were just rascals. 7. When the Cowlitz people lived long ago, when upper class persons wanted the daughter of a chief, one man (a messenger) would bring along something or other for them with his message, he might bring for them something such as one slave. (2) Then he is told in reply, well, "All right," is said to him. "I will give you the woman." He (the messenger) goes away, he goes back home, and says, "They will give you the woman." (3) He goes here and there among his own relatives, he rounds them up, now he goes for her. As many as thirty people go along there, to the woman. (4) He (the girl's father) himself has likewise collected his own relatives, they give him things, he takes as many as ten slaves which had been given to the (girl's) relatives (by the boy's people). (5) He had also been given valuables, hard baskets he had been given. The man was dressed up in whatever finery he had. He was taken over to there, two men, one on either side of him held him on the way. (6) The mother of the man threw moccasins on the ground as she went along, one moccasin after another, cut up (unfinished) moccasins. The woman threw down many of those moccasins, she made a trail for her son to go across to his wife. (7) The son goes across like that to the woman. Half way over the man sat down,

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he had been taken half way across, they made the man sit there. The woman had been all dressed up with valuables, so that she could not be seen, they had completely dressed her with valuables, with hard baskets. (8) The mother of the woman distributed valuables. They led her to there, they brought the woman to where the man was. The woman belongs to the man, and he belongs to the woman, he is the husband of the woman now. (9) They will be together and live together, and then when they will have children, they will give away things again. Then they will end that (have no more potlatches). But the relatives will always be giving things to one another, when they see one another. 8. Long ago when there were people, they would not just have power. In order to have power, they would send them away, they would go away in the evening. A boy went far away to the mountains. (2) A man (for example) met him (there), and said to him, "Boy! Look at this body!" The boy will grow up as this thing, everything will go on by, everything moves aside and is open to him, valuables come to him, the boy's body will be bright and light with it, that is what the boy will be. (3) He will be called boy. "Then you will be called unmarried young fellow, you will be called newly-wed-living-with-parents-in-law, you will be called father, you will be called grandfather. (4) That is how you will live with my power. So I speak." The man turned, he saw, "Oh it is a deer!" He came back. They sent him even further away now. He found it, he met it. A man met him, going along, he was thoroughly terrified, he arose, "This is the way you yourself will be, boy! See! you will restore everyone to life!" (5) He came home, the man lived and became rich, he finished boyhood (at fifteen years of age or thereabouts), and as a shaman (lived) on to be an old man, he cured all the people. 9. When a girl went, they sent her to the mountains, she took with her her work, (perhaps) a soft basket. They told her, "You must work yonder there at the end of the mountain, you will make your soft basket, you will sit facing the sunrise, and then it may address you." (2) That is what the girl did. A woman came to her, she showed her a large hard basket, soft basket, and pack rope, she showed them to her, "You will make these things, girl. (3) You will not be in poverty, these things will be your products, everyone will app ove of your (things), they will give (things) for them, and then you will be a satisfied girl. (4) You will never be poor, you will always have many valuable things." It turned around, it went away, and then of a sudden the girl saw, that "You yourself are really wild lily."

UPPER COWLITZ GEOGRAPHIC NOTES Jim Yoke Yoke had been encouraged by interpreter Eyley J r . to dictate a n y t h i n g he knew about his Cowlitz river world, in addition to m y t h s ; he plunged spontaneously into this peculiar text, t h e motivation a p p a r e n t l y being t o parade knowledge derived f r o m a lifetime of travel in t h e local region, in the hope t h a t both t h e visiting ethnologist a n d t h e younger natives s q u a t t i n g about the tipi might be properly edified a n d impressed. May I suggest t h a t t h e ethnological interest in t h e text is to observe a n upper Cowlitz native's memory and feeling for terrain, places a n d distances, his images and emotional associations for places t h a t m a k e u p t h e known territorial world. I n these modern days as well as a m o n g upper Cowlitz Indians anciently, Yoke a p p e a r s to be an atypical native in economic interests as well as t e m p e r a m e n t ; a t least no one individual can be thought of as representing a tribal economic t y p e : some upper Cowlitz were primarily fishermen and h a d only occasional interest in berry patches or hunting country, others liked both h u n t i n g a n d fishing, women were mainly concerned with berry a n d root sites in addition to purely domestic tasks. Unfortunately very little is known a b o u t Yoke's own life; he seems t o have fished, h u n t e d a n d traveled r a t h e r extensively in central western Washington. Two f r a g m e n t a r y texts of this type, one f r o m Yoke, the other from so unusual a n individual as Lewy Costima, are of restricted utility, indeed no more t h a n merely suggestive; it would be better if additional upper Cowlitz natives h a d provided analogous dictations so t h a t the peculiar tribal character of their economico-geographic world could be sketched with native emphases and with variant individual views and interests indicated pointedly in t h e text. English words, phrases, a n d place names are added in parentheses t o an unusual e x t e n t ; in connected speech of this nature so much is implied, obvious, unverbalized by a native t h a t often considerable amplification of the English is necessary for intelligibility. Words in quotes are literal translations of native place names.

1. In this country, when the country had its beginning, in the myth age, he (Coyote) ordained it (all). He named all these places in this land, (such as) the rivers, (and the) places where fish were to be obtained (and so on). 2. There is a place there named Ohanapecash. There is that (little) stream or lake for the people to get fish at, which stream flows out (as the) wa'inpas (it empties into the Clear Fork above Lewis). (2) Below there it is named laka'lwit (Indian name of both the Clear Fork River and of the camp at its mouth), and there are also fish (caught) at that place. (3) He who named it said there would be fish netting right here to get salmon. Another (site) is named pna' ("water worn rock pocket under the falls"), a (good)

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place to catch (club) salmon, for us to get salmon. (4) On his route he (Coyote) came out of the water to shore, and he said at this place, "People will dwell here." A t that place he set up a rock, (named) ale'l, long and high. (5) When a person became tired out, he could sit there on top of it. And he also set up so large (rather small) a rock, for small children to sit on. (6) He thought of a mountain, he named it naq'u't ("breast", Mt. Tatoosh). A t that place he determined there would be lots of berries, that people would climb up it, gather those berries, dry them, and descend again to the same place where they were drying fish. (7) He named (a creek) for getting fish ctcu-'c (near Ohanapecash). He named another (creek) pcuwi'nc, a creek that flows from the mountains past here (Lewis) into the big river (Cowlitz). (8) And again another (creek) flows out, named t'cqe-'D, (good) for catching fish. There is a mountain named waqa'qk (frog croaking), also (good) for berrying. Right here (at Lewis) there flows (a creek) named tamxs-'x, also (good) for fishing. (A creek below Lewis) is named qwa'qwatam. (There is a mountain) named wactcaini', a huckleberry patch. (9) There is another (creek) named cucaincacnmi' ("place of steelhead", below Lewis). There is a mountain named axa"axa ("alder"). (10) A t that place there flows out mulainmi' (creek). That mountain (right there) is named tiska'ya ("Skunk", three or four miles below Lewis). (11) Opposite there (and below) there is (a mountain) named ka'cinu ("elbow"), a place at which to get berries. Another creek empties out named cicu'. (12) And another is named laxpaDnmi' (a water moss). (Another) flows out, kaya'xam. A mountain there is named takta'k ("small prairie"), a place for berrying. (13) They name a place there where it (a spring) comes up out of the ground, it is named mulmulla' ("bubbles person"). Another spring is named plu's ("brains"), it is white. ni'l u (Silver Creek) flows out. (14) On the opposite side (of the Cowlitz) from it there flows out that (creek) named taita'i (a tree moss; at Randle), it is also a salmon fishing place. (15) There is a place named ca'qk, it is also a salmon fishing place (at the Kiona farm a mile below Randle), long ago a great many people used to be there. (16) There is another place named tca'kumac ("fern root place", below Randle). Another is named ikke-tacnmi' ("place of the children"). Another is named tu'lqpc ("scratch", above Cispus R.). Another is named kiya'nx" (on Cowlitz R. southeast of Morton). (17) Another is named kwsa's (at mouth of Cispus R.). At that place the ci'cpac (Cispus R . ) flows out. 3. Further below there it is named sxa'tsaikt (name of creek and adjacent camp). There is (a creek) named kwa'p ("falls"). On 16

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the other side of there (a creek) is named pa'pc ("Douglas fir"), also (good) for catching salmon. (2) There the people used to dip-net fish. A place for catching fish is named lut'sanmi' ( 'of red"). There is a fishing site named ca'q'amc ("large soft maple"). There is another named yawe-'nGniki ("go-around place"). (3) Another one is named yawalorni' ("hanging u p " ; between the Cispus and Cosmos). Another is named wa'xt'Jki ("cut through byaxe"). Another is named nt'ci' i'watcac ("big salmon resting place"). (4) Another is named aya'm'ayam ("trout"). Another is named xe-t'a'i. Another is named mat'sainmi' (a rapid between Cowlitz Falls and Cosmos). (5) There is a rock named ya'wacamle-ca ("sits in water"). That (other) rock is named yapni'tac ("elk place"). At that place it is named pna' ("hollow rock under falls"). (6) The falls go down, a t the place where the falls go down, there fish drop into it, when they leap towards shore. Further below from there it is named cq'u'ni, below there is where a great many people used to stay, and obtain fish. (7) At t h a t place ni'caul (creek) flows out. A little further below there it is named wata'mkwi (a quiet stretch three quarters of a mile below Cowlitz Falls, where canoes could ferry across stream). (8) Further below it (a camp site) is named nukcainmi' ("of otter"). At t h a t place (an eddy) is named tsmi'ls. At that place it is named na'naknanak ("many cedars"). Below there is (a fishing creek) named si ma'n. (9) Below there it is named imu't'lkca ("it boils and bubbles"; three to four miles below Cowlitz Falls). (There is a place) named t'ca'tcan (another rapids). (10) Another is named ya'wacgmleD ("thing sitting in the water"), also a place where the water bubbles and boils. (11) On from there is a creek likewise small named xu'lamct'ci, also a fishing site. Below there is xwa'nxwanaim (no fishing at that place). Below there t'camtci'n (creek) flows in (at Cosmos). (12) Below there is t'cala't'ca (a site). That (site below) is named puta'psan. Below there it (a camp) is named qmamsaya's ("hummingbird place" ?). (13) Below there on the opposite side (two miles above Nesika) it is named xawu'nac ("place for suckers"). At the very same place there it is named cxa'xlq'k (creek). (14) There (at Nesika) it is named cucaincacnmi' ("place for steelhead". a creek). Right at t h a t very same place is waxa'iwasas ("ashwood place", a creek). And also right at that place flows out pti'sas ("little muskrat place", a creek). That place (Nesika) is named swi'kswikt (a weed or grass resembling horsetail). (15) On the opposite side flows in (a creek) named waca'pani ("carry along"; no fishing in this creek). Below there is a creek named ka't'sk. (16) Below there it is named ilwa"alwa"8lwa ("little fire cleared open place", three miles below

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Nesika). On the other side it is named wit'i'q'enac ("pigeon place"; a hill). (17) There it is named paBspa'Bs ("small young Douglas fir"; a creek). (There is) a place (named) cxu'mtani (an eddy and fishing site below Riffe). (18) There is one stream flowing out named cqilq'i'lt ("skunk cabbages"; two or three miles below Riffe). Below from that place is a creek also flowing out named nu'cnu ("nose"). 4. (Then) the river becomes narrow. On beyond that place it is named iya'nc ("driftwood" or "jam"), it boils and bubbles, it is also a place at which the people catch salmon. (2) There it (a valley) is named tca'luwaik. There is (a prairie with camas) named kwe-'lt (Mossy Rock). There at that place it is named ala'layac ("place of nettles", a prairie opposite Mossy Rock). (3) There at that place it is named t'cqa'lanl (a fall above the Ike farm). At that place it is named lala'lx (Tilton creek, which flows out here).1 At that place it is named t'ca'lt'calc, it flows out (below). (4) Further below flows out (a creek) named sa'lkum. Below there is a site named suspa'nas ("strawberry place", two or three miles below Salkum). (5) Below a creek flows out named teq'a'tcan ("white fir"). Below a creek flows out named pcwa'pcwa ("many rocks"). There is a creek flowing out named Kwalsa'lyals (five miles above Toledo). (6) Further below there is a creek at that place named mata'p (opposite Toledo), also a fishing site. Below there it is named ana'n ("horn" or "antler"), also a fishing site. (7) Below it is named ka'matsi (the prairie at Olequa). At that place below there it is named wi'lapsas ("sturgeon place"). At that place a large stream flows out named ce-'qwku (Toutle R.), it is also a fishing site. A stream empties out there (six miles above Kelso) named nilhwi'. (8) And further downstream is a creek named t'u-'s, of no use because no fish are in it. And there at the place where this (Cowlitz) river flows out, it is named mansa'la (Kelso). Across from there flows out qawi'man (Cowimen R.). 5. Right here (near Lewis) is a mountain named pcu'winc. There is a large lake, it may be two miles long (cuyu'ik, Packwood Lake). It is of that (lake) I am recounting, it is valuable (information), a price could be set for it. 6. Five men came from the east. In the country of the pcwa'nwapam (Ellensburg or Kittitas Indians) there is a lake named ka'tsis (Kachees). On their way they came down to the water at that place to bathe. (2) They lay on their bellies in water shallow and up to their knees. Again and again to whatever lake they 1

cqwe-'litam creek (Klickitat Creek) empties into the Cowlitz below Tilton Creek. 16*

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came, they did the very same thing, to all of them. They h a d fish, t h e y carried t h e m along. 7. Then t h e y reached this lake here (Packwood L.). They lay on their bellies under the water. I t was rather deep. They released those fish there, they were so large, about twelve inches in length, five of them. (2) They filled the lake with them. Douglas firs came there. There was an island at the end of the lake, about two or three acres in size. (3) They made little streams flow into the lake there. Those little trout would enter them, for m y people to catch. 8. My ancestors came there. They made soft baskets. One day when the sun was high b u t towards evening one of t h e m cried out and asked, "My anus is this big (i. e. I am hungry), I am hungry. Feed m e ! " (2) The next day the trout came in the morning, laBoB8B9B9B9, a great many trout. At first the people would go there, and t h a t water would rise just like the ocean (tide). (3) They seized t h e eldest, the one who made it t h a t way (tides), because they did not want the people to go there. (4) They sent him f a r away. They told him, "You are bad. Our people will arrive here, and they will catch fish in quiet, unafraid." 9. (There is) a point of land at the mouth of the Cispus, and the creek a t the mouth (is) kttuli' ("very swift"), (there is) paltxi' (an adjoining hill), (there is) ctcautca'u river, a fishing site for steelhead, (which) spawn there. (2) (There is) a place where there is a foot log bridge across the river. A creek, tkwinatacnmi' ("Chinook salmon place"), flows out into the (Cispus) river. (At) kwaya'iqam, a deep spot, Chinook salmon stop there and rest, t'calatcanmi' ("of ferns") flows in, (it is) a spawning place for steelhead. (3) "Steelhead spear pole" stands there, in the m y t h of Coyote (it was) made by his command, (it is) near the river. The mountain (there) is named wa'q'amuyac ("camas place"). At 9lwa"alwa ("little burned over place") a stream flows out. (4) F u r t h e r upstream it is named iya'nc ( " d r i f t " ; a camp). A stream flows out, tawayawicnmi' ("of earth slide"). Up above there is yuyula' ("person who shouts") river, a spawning place of silverside salmon. (5) There comes flowing out 9xa"9xa ("alder"), a spawning place for steelhead. There is named cpa'tom mountain, it stands there a long, large rock. (6) (There is) onwanmi' ("big burned over place") creek, a spawning place for silverside salmon. There is named male-ci'nc ("tongue place"), a place for mountain goats, long ago at t h a t place people caught mountain goats.(7) Further up flows out anawitacnmi' ("hunger place"), (it is) big, there steelhead and Chinook salmon spawn. Right there is a mountain named t'sli'tinc. (8) Opposite t h a t place is t'sa'qapca (mountain), a huckleberry patch, there

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the people of yore used to get huckleberries, and they would dry them. (9) There is a mountain lali'wat, a huckleberry patch. At that place is a large lake named mat'u'layac ("spawning Chinook salmon place"). On the other side there is tomla'tamla ("little heart"; a rock of that shape is there) mountain, a huckleberry patch. (10) There is a mountain goat place, camtcacwa'k w l ("resembling orange-pink face paint"). At that place (is) a large lake, (which is) the source of the Cispus, named panaxpi' lake. (11) There is a huckleberry patch mountain belonging to the Yakima Indians. There is a stream flowing there named waltutila' ("spray person"). (12) There is a mountain goat place named a'cac ("go inside place"; "Goat Rock" now), a great rocky place, there the people got mountain goats, there used to be a great many mountain goats (there). (13) Right there also is named tq'waitci' rock. And also there is a mountain goat place named cu-'kcac ("the knower"). Further on a large rocky mountain is named caBantcacwa'k"! ("resembling face paint"). 10. I'll take him over to the Cowlitz River now. 11. There is a huckleberry patch mountain named lut'ca' ("red"). There is a huckleberry patch named pti'wi ("wild carrots"), at that place long ago they obtained huckleberries. (2) Across from there at the source of the "white" creek is a ridge summit, and there is a big mountain named cq'wlanmi' ("of mountain beaver"). (3) There it is called alwa'xamalwaxam ("little fire cleared open place"), long ago a great many people stayed there and got huckleberries. Some distance from there is a huckleberry patch, txu'wac ("txu' weed place"; at head of Tieton River), at that place every summer the Yakima Indians always were and they gathered large and small huckleberries. (4) There is a stream flowing there named aya'yac ("place of mountain trout"), they wade across it (on the Yakima trail). There is a patch of small huckleberries named aitalu' (a grass like oats), the people picked berries (there). (5) Some distance from there is a mountain with a huckleberry patch named tpa'c, ("salt place"; an open spot at the foot of the mountain). (6) Right near that place is a mountain with a huckleberry patch named XEta'i ("big flat site"). There the source of the Cowlitz first appears. At that place is a large long rock named sit'a'xs ("liver"), a great many mountain goats (are) there, they caught the mountain goats, and smoke dried (the meat). (7) There is a large rock cave, they smoke dried inside it there. At that place it is named wilawa'ikac ("jump across place"), a cascade of water falls down, and there, according to the belief of the mythology, the people who were made in myth times used to jump across, (that was where) they

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leaped across in myth times. (8) A t that place it is named pa'kankac ("place of the barrier"), the people of long ago used to get mountain goats (there), near (at the foot of) taxu'ma (Mt. Rainier). 12. A t the ridge summit is a large lake, ys'xtac. the source of the white (creek). I t is named xwiyalnmi' ("of white agates"), that river that flows (there). The mountain (there) is named t'at'aci'ya ("soft basket person"). (2) A river is named ta'inan (Tieton R.). A prairie is named aita'minins. There is a place named taiDnapami' ("belonging to the Upper Cowlitz Indians"; a rock mountain). (3) Coyote named here and he named there. This place here it is named, " I t is to be named cq'uma'tins" ("iron w o o d " mountain). A t this place emptying out is the ta'iDan (Tieton R.). (4) " I t is to be named xwa'xnam prairie (also a creek). The mountain is to be named miya'wax ("head man", " c h i e f " ) . On the other side it is to be named tamata'c ("menses place"; Coyote's daughter had her first menses here), a place to catch salmon at. (5) There the mountain is to be named xwacxwa'ya ("Blue J a y " ) . The creek will be named ya'xayac" ("beaver place"). 13. Coyote was a great chief. A t that place his (son's) woman bore a child. From all over they came to see the chief, and five unmarried Wishram girls (came). (2) The chief (Coyote's son) smiled at the girls. The chief's woman had a child. There was a long rock mountain sloping down (there). The woman took her child, andhurled it there. (3) She was angry because her husband had smiled at the women. Then it became that long rock, it (is named) wicxami' ("of the Wishrams"). The Prosser people were visitors to the chief. That long rock appeared there then. Whatever visitors there were, they cried out to it. 14. When this land was all full of people, that was when he played his tricks on them. As much as there is of this land, it all became named like that, whatever mountains, whatever streams (there are). 15. There is a creek named mat'anmi' ("of soft mud"). A spawning place for steelhead is named sak u tsaya's. A small creek flowing out there is named si k w si-'k w (a tall water grass), mountain trout spawn there. (2) The mountain above is named xa'slikca ("go around"; the Yakima trail passes around the base). That is where they (travelers) come out of the woods and go single file (because of the narrowness of the trail). (3) They (certain myth people) became rock also. A t that place (beyond) there is a rock named qu-'tal. fifteen (feet) in length. A t a cave (there) the people camped over night. (4) A t that place it is named qu'xquxac ("blue clay paint place"; a mountain). Below there it is named xa'inakca ("road

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goes into"). Below there in the river is a place to catch salmon named tuksa'i ("bucket"). (5) Below there it is named tamkasali', the rock lies right by the water, it lies perhaps two feet above it. that rock is long, perhaps ten feet. (6) The river (Tieton) bends to that place. There further below, the mountain is named ta'xwawai ("large level place"), a root digging place for piya'xi roots and pula' roots. There further below it is named kaika'i ("rock splinters"; a rock slide), a place at which to catch salmon. (7) There below it is named q'wla'wiyac ("wild onion place"), at that place there usually are camas, there the people dig camas. (8) There below it is named acta'c ("cactus"). There below it is named ku'wi, (it is) a fish trap place, there there used to be a salmon trap across the river (Tieton), there numbers of people used to get salmon from both sides of the river. (9) My father used to dry fish, and there also my mother used to be, she butchered the Chinook salmon. (10) At that time I was a boy this high, and I would watch them. There below, namaxsa' creek flows out, (it is a) steelhead place, they spawn in it. (11) At that place is a mountain which is a place to get piya'xi and pula' roots. My mother and many other women used to dig there. There below is a site by the river named su-'nu-ks (a place to catch salmon). 16. I t is named there, there flow there large streams which come together, the naxtce-'c (Natches) and ta'itan (Tieton) unite. There further below stream and high above the mountain is named taxa'txt. (2) There below, a site at the river is named pu 'nup. There below, pta'xnam flows out (into) that stream named tkwa'iwaitcac (Cowichee Creek). (3) Up above there it is named xalikak-'sa (creek). There a place of many rocks is named aya'm'ayam ("many little rocky hills"). There above it (a site) is named cu'we-t'ac. (4) There further above it (a site) is named pa'nt'cakyut ("tied together"). There a place for the people to camp is laka'laka ("young trees"), (it is) a camping place, (and) a place for getting piya'xi roots. (5) There is (a site) named ta'mactamac ("many roasts"). Also right there it (a site) is named wa'ipac ("come out onto the prairie"). And also right near there (is a place named) a'itins. (6) At the foot of the hill is (a place) named t'si'yi ("poor eyes" ?). There is a camp site and place for doing root digging and getting food named piyi'k ("piyi'k root"). (7) There still further below it is (a place) named ca'nGnikc ("cut around"). There below it is named ta'pnaitapnai ("rocks pointing up"), so many rocks stand there, that are named ta'pnaitapnai. There below it (a place) is named xalikals-'sa. (8) Above there on the mountain is a place for root digging named tamsa's. There it is named anu'wac

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("snow shoe place"). (9) There it is named the a'tana m (Ahtanum), the river flows along, and a t the large beach the nwxtce-'c (Naches) and si'la (Selah) join. There a little f u r t h e r below it is called sa-yi' (creek). There below it is named t'si'kik (a place between Yakima and Union Gap). (10) There (at Union Gap) it is named p a ' x k w y w t . There a little below it (a place) is named aw-ya'. There below it (a place) is named a-wa'tam. T h a t is as far there as I know. 17. I t is named cxwi'yac. Right by there it is named samkuwi' (Simcoe Creek). There it is named t'isa'ili (a short old tree near the C. Olney farm). There on the other side it is named xa'pnic, the name given by the people (now) is ta'pnic (Toppenish Creek). (2) There further above the red trail it is named wu-'tawac ("place of antlerless deer"). There above it is named ta'pa-s ("torch of split cedar twigs"). There still further above (up Toppenish Creek) it is named yixu'x. (3) There on the other side of t h e hill it is named pa'tkwaipxt (junction of two creeks). I n t h a t direction up above there it (a site) is named tamasa'tama-sa ("lie on top of rock"). 18. The people call it nco-xtci-'c (Naches R.). One (creek), q'a'wx, flows (there, it is) a place to catch salmon. Another below it is named wi-'t'lakca ("sliding rocks break twigs"). (2) Another one (a place) is named axalala'm. Another above there is named ti-'nam lake (perhaps Bumping L.). I t is named cqwali' (Nisqually R.), its source Coyote named a'lxaix ("moon"). 19. Whatever is in this land, it all was named by Coyote, (he named) places and streams (and) mountains. 20. There it is named patcupama' ("middle one") mountain. I t is named nuwaxa'minc ("fire clearing"; a mountain near Longmire Springs), a place to get huckleberries. I t is named cqipqipacnmi', it flows into the cqwali' (Nisqually) river. (2) A large rock mountain there, a place for mountain goats, is named qwna'ntam. There across a small stream it (a mountain) is named tamla'tamla ("little heart"). (3) There across a small distance it (a place) is named camle-'ca ("swim in water"). There it is named suq'e'ls. There it is named wa'Btacinc ("bird f e a t h e r " ; a mountain). There and opposite it is named t'a'pal (mountain). There and right across it is named asa-sanmi' ("of water moss"). There it is named t'a'pal (mountain). (4) I t is named xe-'wna. A huckleberry site mountain is named si'msim. A huckleberry site mountain is named pa'x u ta-ca ("on top of the other one"). There it is named t'a'xam. (5) There it is named ka'cinu ("elbow"); seven or eight miles west of Lewis, near the Cowlitz R.), a huckleberry site. There on the other side is a huckleberry site mountain named t a k t a ' k ("little prairie"; seven or eight miles above Randle). (6) There is a big ridged mountain

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named masma's. Coyote named taxu'ma (Mt. Rainier). From there is another mountain named naq'u't (Tatoosh Mt.). (7) A mountain is named taxwi-'q'wi (below Randle). A mountain is named thi'xtlxinc (near Mineral). A mountain is named kaslaika'slai (a certain wiggly tailed water bug; the mountain has a snake-like long ridge). (8) A lake named hamaiha'mai ("soft", "muddy") empties into the cqwa'li (Nisqually) river. That one (mountain) is named lu'x u la-xum. Another stream flows into the lala'lx (Tilton Creek) named pa'Dyal" ("spear place"; north of Morton). (9) A mountain there is named pale-'t ("put stick in water"). Another mountain there is named t'sawa'xam. There and across is a mountain named xwiyatii'nc. (10) A lake there is named wasa' (Davis Lake, near Morton). There it empties (into Tilton Creek), it is named yaxwa'p (Lake Creek, west of Morton). (11) There into the lake flows Kttuli' ("very swift one"). There a creek is named t'cat'ci'xwi. There it is named qwatsi-'qwn (a prairie three or four miles east of Morton). (12) Coming right there is a creek named maxo'c ("yellow"). There a mountain is named lu-t'cani' ("brown-red"). There it is named wainu-'kca ("it bends"; Rainy Creek, south of Cosmos). (13) There (a place) is named sa't'x w sas ("sa't'xws root place"). There it is named lika' ("bend"), long ago (it was) a blackberry patch, there the people long ago obtained blackberries. Another stream, a creek, flowing (there) is named laxt'sa'yim. (14) Another creek flowing right there is named axwami'. There is a place there on a small mountain, caca'n'can. A creek flowing there is named q'a'ws. (15) There further above (at Randle) is tsa'qa-tam creek. Further above flows a creek named st'su'lam. There on the other side it is named kwa-li'nam-ctca't ("trail of the dangerous being"). (16) There above it is named kaslaika'slai (a water bug) river. There it is named a'yahwsam. There across it is named wa-nmi' ("swan's") creek, it empties into the (Cowlitz) river. (17) There it is named ca'q'amc ("soft maple") mountain (six or seven miles above Randle). (18) There a prairie on a level place is named kusi'kusiyas ("dog place"). There it is named kwya'xam. There a spawning place for silverside salmon is named sa'q'am. (19) There above it is named anawaiki' ("hungry"). There above it is named t'cu'layam. There above it is named ku'mkum ("salmon head"). There above it is named tcyaununmi' ("of gills"). (20) There above it is named tsxlimainmi' ("of maidenhair fern" ?). Above there is a rock jutting into the water, it is named q'a'waxac ("q'a'wx root place"). (21) There above it is named xa'nxanac ("xa'nxan or wild onion place"). There above, a small salmon trap place is named lakasnmi' ("of mice").

U P P E R COWLITZ MYTH AND GEOGRAPHIC T E X T Lewy Costiraa Though aged in the sixties and among the four or five oldest surviving ta'iDnapams, Costima and his wife adhere to the Indian Shaker religion; they have been no little affected by the modern white rural culture of the upper Cowlitz region. From a linguistic viewpoint Costima and interpreter Eyley J r . speak the purest ta'iDnapam dialect recorded. Costima takes pleasure in introducing white terms, phraseology, ideas and humor into purely Indian narration; he is known to tell in myth recitals that this or that happened one hour later or that Coyote had tea at five o'clock in the afternoon. Such insertions show unusual impatience and lack of sympathy with native canons of myth narration. Unlike native women of his generation, Costima exhibits a constant, malicious and somewhat crude urge to violate tradition and to amuse by endless intermingling of incongruous and gross modernisms with no longer respected ancient things. But in spite of excessive liveliness, irrepressible clowning, coarseness, and apparent irreverence, Costima is a deeply religious and serious Shaker. The text is an honest and only slightly modernized delineation of certain aspects of the Cowlitz world known to the older ta'iDnapam who are now Shakers; the things discussed are those that seem most significant in their view — or at least Costima's view — of local history. The geographic aspect of the text is strikingly like J i m Yoke's geographic text and would have resembled it more closely had not Costima been unable to repress urges to preach, tell stories, and indulge in non sequitur. The myth telling is so distorted by Costima's mannerisms and modernistic style that it must be considered unusually atypical and individual. The material was dictated during a day's visit to Costima's farm at Bremer, near Morton, Washington, in August 1927; Eyley J r . translated a few days later.

1. The chief (Jesus) sent Coyote from above to this land. He had sent crow first, he had him come to see how the people were, (how) they were then. When that crow arrived, he saw people lying about, dead. (2) He went and ate their eyes, and then he went on, and went above again towards home, to the place of the chief (Jesus). He (Jesus) asked him, "How did it appear to you V' (3) It seemed to him to be pretty good. But he said to him, "Why, no! You have been eating their eyes. Very evidently you have been doing ill. You are finished, that is as much work as you will obtain." (4) Then he ceased right there, the chief (Jesus) let him go, he became a crow, he became a black crow. 2. The chief (Jesus) above spoke, " I will take another one, alnd I wil send him to go and see." Coyote said, "Let me (go)!" And Coyote

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came, he arrived here. (2) He (Jesus) had told him, ' That is how you are to be, exactly like myself." And so Coyote became exactly like the chief above. He took (a staff of) wood. In that manner he turned into a fish. (3) The chief had said, "I would have you do to everything exactly as I do it." That is how Coyote did, he appeared in this land, (as) the chief (he) took care of this land, he made everything, he made the streams, he indicated whatever names there were to be. 3. He named the ctci'l (Cowlitz R.). Coyote came this way from mansa'la (Kelso), as he came he named rivers and creeks. (2) As he came he named one of them ci-'quk (Toutle R.), he named another nilhwi' (a creek opposite Castle Rock), he named another ka'matsi (Oleqwa R.), still another he named mats'B (Salmon Cr., below Toledo), another he named tsali'tsalilan. (3) As he came he named suspa'nas ("strawberry place", below Salkum), he named la'katcan ("white fir") creek, he named another one sa'lkum, he named t'calt'ca'Ic (Winston Creek, below Mayfield). (4) At that place he made a place to catch fish, he made a seat from which to spear fish, he made it for spearing better, so that one could tug strong and not fall into the water. (5) There in the river he made a place where it boils and bubbles, there fish come out on the surface, right there he speared them. 4. Coyote came on upstream, as he came he named that river tsi'qls, he came on from there and here he made tsi-'xiwun (Silver Cr.) creek. He came on from there, he made cqwe'latam (Klickitat Cr.), he came from there to where another stream flows out named lala'lx (Tilton Cr.).1 (2) At that place he came out from the river to a prairie, there he placed roots, camas, he put strawberries, he put pa-na'D roots, he made these foods for the people, and he made xa'mxam roots. (3) Coyote sat there, sitting there he said, "I have been making all sorts of things. Now that the people coming are already near, I will prepare all sorts of food for them, so that they will not starve. (4) When they come, they will obtain them and eat them." And he spoke thus, "I will make timber so that they may burn wood and keep themselves good and warm, they will not be cold, they will keep warm." 5. When the people came, they arrived there, and two of them sat there, one woman, and one man, eyeless, mouthless. He said. "I will come to you, and I will complete you." (2) Then the chief went, he spoke in this manner, "Do not call out to anything. A dangerous being may call to you, but you are never to call in reply." 1

The band of ta'iDnapam living at the mouth of Tilton Creek used to be called lalalxla'ma ("lala'lx people").

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(3) They spoke in this manner, " Y e s ! " They stayed there perhaps one t u r n around (i. e. one hour), when it called out to them. (4) The woman said, "A head man is calling out in this direction. The person who has been completing our eyes and mouth must be coming." The man said, "No! I t must be from the bad one (the Devil)." The woman said, " N o . " He of the bad one called out and came along, he sat there, and he spoke in t h a t manner. (5) At t h a t place he opened both their eyes, and t h e y saw, far off they saw. "Do you see well ?" They spoke thus, " I do, very well." He opened their mouths, and at once they said, " I do, very well." — "Are you all right with t h a t ?'' — "Yes!" Jle told the man, " I can see well with m y eyes, you have opened my eyes well." (6) H e spoke to him in this manner, "How might I open your e y e s ? " H e spoke in this manner, "If my younger sister will be first to have her eyes opened, then I will have my own opened." He went to t h e m and opened all these eyes of theirs, and the man's mouth (too). 6. Then the chief above (Jesus) arrived. " W h o opened your eyes ?" — " O h ! " he said, "The one from the bad one (the Devil) must have deceived m e . " The chief said, " H e has beaten me now. I suppose I will make life short." (2) Coyote made it short (for them), t h e chief above made it short (then) for Coyote. "You are to give t h e m all sorts of things. You will give them prayers, you will give t h e m to the people. (3) When the time comes when they die, it will be all right with prayers. They are not to tell his, (lest) their life become short, t h e life of the people will become short. (4) When they die, they will come quickly, directly t o u p above, prayer will bring them, if they have always prayed, if they have believed in the chief (Jesus) above. (5) Good will come, the land will be short lived, it will be made over again. When the land becomes old, I will make it over again at t h a t time." 7. Coyote went on then from t h a t place, he went on from qwe-'lt (Mossy Rock prairie), 1 he made a fishing place a t which to catch salmon trout, he named it nu'cnu ("nose"; at the upper end of the canyon of t h e Cowlitz), 2 a place where m a n y fine fish could be caught. (2) "The people are traveling towards here, and are close now. This is a place where t h e y will be. Now I shall make it, so t h a t from now on there will be light. I shall make stars, so t h a t the land may be light. (3) I shall make the moon, so t h a t it may be light. I shall make the sun, t h a t it may be light. When they sleep 1 2

The band, of ta'iDnapam living on Mossy Rock prairie was named qwc-lt.la'ma ("qwe-'lt people"). A group of ta'iDnapam families living at the mouth of the canyon of the Cowlitz was named nucnula'ma ("nose people").

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it will be warm. (4) The people will go here and there feeling good and warm. Because they are coming close to here now on their journey." 8. When he went on he came upon. "People have already begun to be here. Apparently they reached here some time ago, and there is no fire whatever. (2) They obtain fish, but they merely pierce them, roast them, and cook them (that way). When they dance, they become done, they dance and they are done, entirely without fire." Coyote came along, he reached there. (3) "What are you doing ?" — "We dance, and it is cooked, and can be eaten. Whoever dances hardest, is the quickest to eat." Coyote said, "Make a fire quickly!" They prepared fire wood. (4) Coyote took out his fire (tools), browned fine dry cedar bark shavings, he applied his fire (tools) to it, this is how he did it, 1 he twirled it till it was hot, and then fire came out of it, he took it, he placed it in those dry cedar bark shavings, he blew on the fire, it burned. (5) "Come here! take the fire!" They made two fires there yonder, and at that place they roasted salmon, it became well cooked. "Because I am hungry, I shall go and eat." (6) Coyote made a long knife to cut with, he made an axe to chop with, he made all sorts of things. Coyote finished everything there. "I'll be going on." He went away, he cried out, "wa-'—*!" 9. When he went on, he saw on the opposite side of the river that they were making a fish dam with persons, people made it, they cut open persons, they cut them open with knives. (2) "What can they be doing ? They form a fish dam, in order to catch salmon." There were a number of babies crying, they were cold. He was angry. "Ah! why do you cause the babies to be cold?" (3) He made the people come out of the water, and Coyote told them (how). He chopped wood, he made a fish dam. Then the people went, they chopped wood. (4) When Coyote made the fish dam, he fastened it with hazel rope, he completed it. He took soft maple and willows and made dip nets with which to catch salmon. (5) Coyote ran along, he fished with a dip net, he caught salmon, he hauled up three of them, he brought them to shore. "Prepare the food! I am hungry. I want to go and eat." (6) He made a shallow water trap with sticks, he laid it in the water of a small creek, and caught salmon. He said, "That is how you will be. (7) That is what you will make for your future food, as long as you are here." Coyote made a basket trap for them in Tilton Creek (lala'lx) here. "There will always be a basket trap there. (8) In summer time, in the dry 1

Mr. Costima illustrated the method of twirling the upper stick between the hands.

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season, when the river goes dry, there will always be fish there. Graylings, salmon trout, silverside, Chinook salmon, steelhead. will go into it." 10. Coyote came on, as he came he named a brook sqa'litcam (near Mossy Rock). He came on and again gave the name cqilqi'lt (one mile west of Riffe). (2) Again, as he came he named a salmon trout site cxu'mtani, many salmon trout (are there). As he came along he named i'wacac ("penis place", a point of land in the Cowlitz one mile east of Riffe), on the opposite side he named it qinu'l. (3) As he came along he again gave the name papspa'ps ("thicket of young firs", several miles east of Riffe), he named sqa'tsq, on the opposite side he named it waca'pani ("being packed along"). (4) He came on and named a high mountain sa'yaman (a hill southwest of Nesika), he came along and named swi'kswikt1 (a weed; near the Kiona homestead at Nesika), he named cu'pwaqac, he named waxa'iwasas ("ashwood place", a creek near the Eyley farm, Nesika, also named pti'sas, "musk rat place"), the next one yonder cu'caincac ("steelhead place", Landers Creek, Nesika), on the opposite side xawu'nac ("sucker place", a creek opposite Nesika). (5) At one place, tisamtstswa's, there are snags in the river (three or four miles above Nesika in the Cowlitz). (There is) qmamsaya's (an open place below Cosmos), (there is) puta'psan (a hill a mile or more below Cosmos). 11. A fine brave man, a fine chief, (was) Coyote. He made all the different kinds of foods for the people, so that they could dwell here and always be supplied with food. (2) (There is) tcamtcin-mouth (RainyCreek), the river makes a bend (at)xu'lamctci (an open place), t'ca'tcan (a rocky narrows four miles above Cosmos) is a good place to catch (fish) food, a great quantity of food is taken (there), at the whirlpool at t'ca'tcan there is always food to be caught. (3) "There will be many people there. In future, they will have a good big time, they will always catch food (there). I t is a fine place. (4) Above there at pti's ("musk rat") they will catch trout and salmon trout, at that pti's they will make trout hooks, there they will get food with long ropes, they will haul them out of the water, early in the morning they will see a great many fish, trout, salmon trout, Dolly Varden, graylings, suckers." (5) (There are) pa'xapxac ("leaves place", a mountain ten miles south of Cosmos), ni'caul (a creek below Cowlitz Falls), sima'n (Goat Creek, below Cowlitz Falls). 1

The ta'iDnapam families resident at swi'kswikt were named swikswikt.la'ma ("swi'kswikt weed people").

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12. At xwiya'tc ("sweat lodge", a rock at Cowlitz Falls; it used to be a sweat lodge, according to native belief), Coyote sat down, he planned what to make.1 (2) He thought that he would make taxu'ma (Mt. Rainier), that he would make pa'tu (Mt. Adams), that he would make lawelatla' ("person from whom smoke comes", Mt. St. Helens). (3) He thought where. He thought that he would make falls at which to catch fish, in future time a great many people would be there on opposite sides. (4) "Wren will be there, in time to come he will dwell there. (People) are coming now. On the other side many people will be at xtsxa'tsas (xtsxa'ts, a vegetable whose stalk is eaten; near Cowlitz Falls). Blue jays, pheasants, wa'wxs birds will be there in time to come near the falls, they will live there, at that place great numbers of persons, women and men, will be in future times. (5) At the place where Chinook salmon, silversides, steelheads and Jack salmon rest on their way upstream, at i'watcac (a site near Cowlitz Falls), there will be a place to spear fish, to catch fish with pole and spear point, at that place they will be speared with them. They will take fish out of the water, for food." 13. The great man Coyote completed it. "They will be coming now." A number of people lived there. They gathered food, they did it well, the women felt proud. (2) They went down to the water, because it was a warm day, the sun was shining, they went to the water, the five unmarried girls went in the water for a swim. (3) Coyote himself traveled in that direction, as he was going along he saw the women in swimming, from the opposite side. He stepped upon and made a hole in a large rock. (4) He thrust (his penis) across stream towards the women, but it was too short, not long enough, he was unable to do it, he gave it up. 14. He went on, he went and saw Wren, he reached him.2 Wren (said), "How are you, younger brother ? What are you doing ? What do you want ?"— "No. I (want to) borrow a soft basket (with a long penis in it) from you, I would like to take it here and there today." (2) Wren said, "No. You would make my (penis) hungry." — "Oh no. I would give it food." Wren said, "Very well then," and he gave it to Coyote, he loaned it to him. 15. The brave Coyote carried it away, he reached the place, "The unmarried girls are bathing there now." He sat down, he thrust it across stream there to the eldest of the women. (2) He did it, now 1 2

At this place Coyote borrowed the long penis from Wren, to copulate with the females on the opposite bank. Note another version of this popular Sahaptin myth in the first text by Eyley Jr., p. 102.

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that was how it was tight in her. When she took it. the woman said, "Oh, it's become nice in the water." But after one hour she became tired and cold. The people told her to cut it off. (Someone) went, obtained a knife, cut a t it, it was a bad knife, it did not cut through at all. (3) Some bird flew by. and told them to cut it off with q'uixla' grass. Then (someone) went, and cut it through with q'uixla' grass. Part of it shrank back towards Coyote, part of it in this direction. The woman pulled it out of the water, she carried it towards home. 16. Coyote himself went on, he returned it to Wren's soft basket. Wren said, "This thing (penis) of mine has become hungry." Wren went on, he took an axe, he chipped off small pieces of the bark of medium sized fir trees, he fed them to it, but it would not eat. (2) He said, "The rascal, Coyote! He has killed my penis!" He looked at it, he examined it closely, it had been cut through, it was dead. 17. Coyote went on, he took snakes and frogs, he placed them here on his hat, he placed feathers around it, and then he went upriver as a shaman, a powerful shaman. (2) They saw, "There is a shaman traveling by on the other side of the river." They shouted, "Are you a s h a m a n ? " He did not call over at all, Coyote kept traveling on in the same direction paying no heed. (3) After some time he called out, " I am a shaman! I am a powerful shaman! When I cure diseases, they become well." (4) "Call to him! (tell the) shaman (some one) has become ill." Then Coyote said, "I'll come." He reached the river, he made a small thing on which to walk, he walked on it, he crossed the river, he proceeded to the sick person. 18. When he arrived, he said. "Who is to do the singing? and five or six to drum for me? Then I'll doctor." Coyote doctored, he went, he sang, "kwe-' kwe-'

kwe'kwe-kws-, kwe-kwekwe-." (etc.)

(2) Then he said, " I t ' s bad. Where is the sweat house ? I'll doctor her there." The people said, "A sweat house is there below." Coyote said, "Very good. You carry her away." (3) They lifted her up, they put her in it when they had taken her to the sweat house, they placed the woman in the sweat house. Coyote doctored, they went away, they went back to home, while Coyote himself was all alone with that woman. (4) He joined (his own stump) to the penis in her there. That woman squealed, she cried out, "Coyote is killing me!" (5) They, blue jay, stsi'tsi bird, si'usiu bird, and wa'wxs bird ran to the sweat house, they reached it club in hand,

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to strike Coyote, but when they got to the door of the sweat house, Coyote emerged, they missed him, he got out, " A h a ! " he ran away, none of them could strike him. 19. The woman no longer had anything down here (in her vagina), she arose well, she ran on, when she peeped out, she told her younger sisters, "Speak well and with gratitude to the shaman. (2) He cured me. I am well now." She spoke loudly and angrily to her younger sisters. The younger sisters said to her, " Y o u yourself said, 'He's killing me!' (but) you became well immediately after." 20. Coyote went on up river. He named we-na'npaca ("it curves"), he named pa'we-kywD ("junction", at mouth of Cispus R.), he named kwsa's ("pointed", near Cowlitz Falls). He went over a rise and named a creek there aya'yac ("trout place"). (2) He named ikke-ta'c ("little babies' place", one mile above cfiyanxula'ma), tca'kumac ("tca'kum fern root place", four or five miles west of Randle), taxu'q'wi, ca'qk (Kiona Creek), taita'i (Silver Creek), tu'tq'ps ("scratch", near Randle), a'xwami (a fishing site), t'sa'qalam (at Randle), yi'DyiDac ("snipe place", an open place near Randle). (3) He went further on, he named a stream yi'lh u (Silver Creek), it is a bad creek there, steelhead are there. A t the large fall above, it gives signs to people, it kills them. (4) When Coyote reached there, he made it cease, he took it by the tail, he pulled it out, he killed it, he threw it entirely away to the devil, and then he went away. 21. He went on upstream, he emerged into an open place, a trail went along, and above there a woman lay on her back, she called out to everyone, they would ascend towards her, the Soft Basket Person would bite and kill men. (2) Coyote knew that the Soft Basket Person was killing a great many people. "Now then I'll kill the darn woman!" 1 22. When he came out of the woods, and was going along on the trail, she shouted to him, "May you not be having an erection?" He never even paid attention. (2) Five times the woman called, five times, and then Coyote listened and said, " Y e s ! I have a mighty erection. I want to have a woman very, very much." (3) The woman said, " I have an erection myself." Then Coyote went on, he climbed up towards the woman's place. He sat down and reflected. He made a hot penis of stone. 23. Then he went on, he climbed up above, there the dangerous Soft Basket Person lay on her back. When Coyote reached there, he said, " A h yes! my deceased relative's wife! I do have a mighty erection." (2) "Dear, oh dear!" " I ' l l do it to you now, with your eyes shut, you must not look, I may hurt you when I insert it, keep 1

Another version: myth five by Jim Yoke (p. 188.) 17

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yourself from suffering from the pain of it. inv in-law! mine is very strong/' (3) The woman said, 'All right." She shut her eves, and then Coyote took out the (stone) penis, he inserted it. he thrust it in. and his deceased relative's wife squealed. (4) ' Harder! it will be all right after a while!" He thrust it inside, tcx" (sound of rushing water), the woman exploded, pa'q the evil Soft Basket Person (exploded). (5) He said, "There are many people now on the way here. A woman will never kill people. When persons copulate, they will be making babies." Coyote went on. 24. He named a stream ctcu-'c (eight or ten miles above Randle), another tcqe-'D (Skate Creek, at Lewis), another (place) ctcu-'c (a mountain near Lewis), another mulmulla' ("person who bubbles", a creek above Lewis), another cuwiyu'wik, another cucaincacnmi' ("steelhead place", a creek), another tamxiya'x. a place for Chinook salmon. (2) Another he named laka'lwit (Clear Fork), another he named muGmu'k (Muddy Fork). 25. He ate camas there, then he became hungry, Coyote went down towards the river, he went along there, he broke off a stick, and this is what he did to his feet. (2) He stepped in the water of the laka'lwiD (Clear Fork), he did it in this manner, he scraped with the sharp stick, out came salmon, graylings, a great many of them. (3) He caught them, he did it to the graylings in this manner with his hands, he threw them ashore, he took them, he made a fire, he roasted them, he ate them. 26. He said, "At this place will be salmon, Chinook salmon, steelhead, silverside, grayling, Dolly Vardens, a great many large Dolly Vardens. (2) They will not go further upstream, none will be above Ohanepecash, no people will ever dwell above there, there will be a great deal of snow in winter time. The people will always be here, at this place they will have salmon for food."

T A L E OF E U R O P E A N ORIGIN Sam Eyley Sr. 1. There was a man and his younger brother. The man obtained a woman, he became married. He said to his younger brother, " L e t us go hunting." They went and hunted. (2) The married man and his younger brother went and shot a deer. They camped overnight. The sun rose. The younger brother and his wife went to fetch the game that had been shot. (3) They got it and butchered it. They packed it on a horse and went on. They had taken the meat and packed it. 2. Then they saw a number of people. They went on hurriedly, they made the horses gallop. They pursued them, and nearly overtook them. He said to the woman, " L e t the loaded horse go! then we can proceed rapidly. (2) Let the loaded horse g o ! " She did let the loaded horse go then. They went on rapidly. The man was riding a fine horse. Nothing could catch that horse. (3) He said to the woman, "Dismount! ride this horse, so that they do not catch you. It will make no difference if they kill me." They caught the man, and they did kill him. They pursued the woman. They had good horses, and with them they caught the woman. They took the woman, they carried her away. 3. The man revived again. He saw they had taken the woman away, they had caught her. He saw them going. He arose when he came to. He went on to their own camp. His older brother came. (2) He told him all about it. He said, "That is how they took your wife. They carried her away, they made me unconscious (killed me), and then I revived again. (3) After that I came here. They caught that loaded horse, and they took it away with them." The man said, "There will be no more hunting now. Let us go home again." They went homewards, and arrived at their house. 4. He felt very badly on account of his wife. He said, " I am going to go away. I will remain at the place there, where that dangerous lake is. (2) No one would go to that place. If they did go, they would be captured, killed, and eaten. But I am going to go there. (3) That is the place where I will sharpen my knife, the large knife." I do 17*

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not know how long a time he had chopped trees with that knife. That was what he took with him, he took it to make it sharp. 5. He remained three years at that place, sharpening that knife. He went into the water to swim, he swam to the other side. He would go into the lake there, and come out of the water again, and go ashore again. (2) This for three years. Then he finished (training). The knife was sharp now. He would come to a Douglas fir, he would strike it a single blow with the knife, it was cut clear through, and the Douglas fir would fall at once. (3) He went on, and he would leap over a large fir. He would go high high up over the large fir, he would leap high over it. Then he thought, "I am prepared now, to go and fight those who took my wife from me." 6. He went home, he reached the house. He spoke to his younger brother. He replied, "Yes! very well! let us go now. I will go with you." And so they went away. 7. When near the place, he left the younger brother there. They had brought with them three horses that nothing could catch, powerful horses. (2) He left the younger brother there. He told him, "You are to stay here at this place. I will be gone two days. When morning comes, and the sun rises, watch the large fir. When the sun will be there on the top of it, if I am alive, you will be looking for me there. (3) When the sun is on the top of the fir, if I am alive, that is the time I will come again, bringing my wife." They tied the horses there at that place. (4) He told the younger brother, "Keep those horses hidden, so that not a person will see you, so that they will not find you." The man went. 8. He came to the place where that woman was. They had made a stone (wall). He came there, and he saw the rock. Oh, it was very high, there was no way to get over it. (2) He stayed there, it became dark, when it was late at night he went and leaped high over that rock (wall). He dropped down in there. 9. They saw him, but they did not notice that he was a stranger. He saw a man standing there, a man of different appearance. 1 He went to him, he talked to the man. (2) He replied to him, "I will show you where that woman of yours is. That woman of yours belongs to the head man now." He replied, "All right. Show me." And so he took him, and showed him. (3) "There is a large house here, the woman is at this place. The important men, the head men, assemble here. That is where your wife is. She goes outside to fetch wood. That is where you can see her and talk to her." 10. So the man stayed there, and in no long time he saw the woman coming outside. The woman came towards him, holding 1

A slave.

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wood. He called, "Oh, what's your name! Is it you yourself?" (2) The woman told him, "After dark tomorrow evening, when you are here again, I will tell you what my situation is." And so he went away. 11. He saw his friend, the slave. " I found my wife. Tomorrow we shall find out." The slave said to him, "Will you take me home also? I too will find out what we must do to escape from here." He said. "Very well." 12. He went away again. No one noticed him. Again he jumped, he leaped over that stone (wall). He went towards the woods, lay down there, and slept all day long. 13. In the evening he went again, he stood about there all through the night. And again he leaped, and found his comrade standing there. He said, " I came here again." (2) He replied, "Very well then. I know now what we have to do. I t is that we must now go to see the woman, and find if she knows what we can do." — "Very well." 14. The man went and waited for the woman. The woman came out. He saw her. She said to him, "Very well now. I found out what we are to do." — "Very well." — (2) "When we have gone to sleep, you will come quickly again, and I will tell you what you are to do to the man." — "Very well then. This is my friend. He will go with us. I will go now, and see my friend, the man. I will find out what he too has learned." 15. The man went, he found his friend. He told him, " I know now what we are to do. He has three horses, those are his very best horses. I was going around here and there, and I looked them over." — (2) "Very good! You will be at that place there near the horses' stable. When I have killed the man, I will take them out." (3) The man replied to him, "But there is no exit anywhere. There is a stone door, and the horses go out at that place. But there is no way we can open that stone (door). (4) I noticed by the water, at the place where they water the horses, that we could enter the water there, and we could go along the river, to the place where the river comes in. (5) We could go there by water, and we could go out at that place. When I find out that you have killed the man, I will have those horses saddled." The man said, "Very well, that is fine! I will take you back home." 16. The man went again, to see his wife. He saw her there. She said to him, " I know now what you must do. When they are through in the house here, and we have gone to sleep, you will be waiting. (2) Very soon I will come out again here to you, I will take you inside, and you will be under the bed." Then (he replied), "Very well."

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17. The woman fetched wood, took it inside, and made a fire. Before it had all burned up, she went again to fetch wood. She got her husband, took him inside the house, and hid him under the bed. (2) She said, "That is how soundly he sleeps. We'll (do it) soon. I will not let him sleep. I will keep awakening him. so that he will want all the more to go tightly to sleep. (3) And he will sleep tightly. Then you will strike him with the deadly knife." The woman went away again, she brought in wood. 18. Now they were through. They went out (from their council), they came into the house, and went to sleep. (2) The woman indeed would not let her husband, the chief, go to sleep. He was dead with sleep. And then the man fell into deep sleep. 19. The woman got down, and she said to her husband, "He is tight asleep now. Go to him with your deadly knife." — "Very well." (2) The man got up, and went to his relative, the head man. He shook and shook him. No, he was quite solidly asleep now. He took his powerful knife. (3) The head hair of the chief went to the ground. He seized him here (by the hair of the head), and that is what he did. He cut clear through at the throat with his knife. The man held the head with its long hair. 20. The woman brought out all the garments of the chief, he had five of such ceremonial dress garments, and everything that the chief had that was fine. (2) They carried out a heavy pack, they took all the fine clothes of the chief. They reached the horses' stable, all the horses were already saddled. They rode away, they went into the river with the horses. (3) And so then they went on along the river, they waded upstream. The river gave them nearly no room between the rocks and the water. (4) They lay face down on the horses because of (the rock) above. That is how they got out. They went on, they reached the man's younger brother. (5) He was looking for him there. They saddled their own horses, as well as those powerful horses which no one could catch. They saddled their own horses. And so then they went away. 21. The head man had five wives. The women prepared and cooked food. When the food was all cooked, they went out, and called, "Food is cooked now!" He did not come out at all. (2) Again they called out. Nothing doing. They called. I suppose, five times. They went, they came to the house. The house was shut tight, and there was no way it could be opened. (3) They told the people, "Why is the house shut tight here ?" The people went to the house, the house was firmly shut, and could not be opened. They obtained something or other, and broke open the house. (4) For they must learn why the house was tightly shut. They

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broke it open, and saw the chief thoroughly knifed. There was no woman, they did not know why no woman was there. They went to the horses' stable, there were no horses, of those finest horses. (5) They noticed there was no slave. They did not know why there was no woman, no slave, no horses. They saw the stone (gate) was shut tight. (6) They did not know which way they had gone out. They tracked the horses, it led down towards the river. They tracked them, it did not return to shore. (7) They went on, they went out by the river way. further yonder there they found their tracks, which came ashore. So they learned they had gone. (8) They had found the tracks of the horses coming out of the water onto shore. They returned again, got horses, and a large number of people went in pursuit. 22. That man and his younger brother saw them. "They are pursuing us." They saw they were so near now as to be able to shoot. They went on more rapidly. There was a boundary line, and they went past it. They could not be shot at any more. 23. He had kept the chief's head hidden. There the man took it, that one who had taken his wife, he took out the chief's head, and he held it aloft. (2) The people cried at it, when they saw that head. He went on, and the people went back again. The man and his younger brother, and the slave, and the woman, went on, went homewards. They came to the house. 24. He said, "All my people, come and see the head of the chief, the one who took my wife from me." He took out all those fine garments of the chief, as many fine ones as he had. (2) There were (upper class) men there, and he sent invitations to them. He told those (persons), "All of you come and see this head of the chief, and all these fine garments of the chief. (3) And his head!" And so those upper class people came, they came to see the head of the chief, and those fine garments. He gave those fine garments of the chief to each of them.

TALES OF EUROPEAN ORIGIN Told in Upper Cowlitz by Sam N. Eyley J r . 1. T h e g r a t e f u l d e a d b o y a n d t h e m o n s t e r ' s b r i d e . 1 1. A boy was going along. There was snow. He saw crows, there were many of them, he shot at them with a bow. Blood dropped down on the snow. He saw it, he said, " I want a woman, that is how her cheeks should be (blood red), that is the kind of woman I wish I might have." 2. He went along on the trail, as he went along he saw a dead boy lying near the trail. He saw a house, he went to it, he went to the man (there). (2) He said to him (to the man), "I will give you five dollars2 if you bury the boy, the boy (who) is lying dead over there." (3) The man said to him, "No! He was too mischievous. I would not trouble about him again for anything." The boy said to him, "I will give you ten dollars if you bury him." (4) The man said to him, "I would never even go look at him again for anything." The boy said to him, "I will give you all the money I have, more than twenty (dollars), if you bury him. (5) Because it is too unfortunate that he is near the road, where every one who goes along may see him." Then he replied to the boy, "All right! I will bury him for your sake. (6) You will see that I will make a good box for him, and I will bury him." The man indeed made a good box for him. He took it to where the dead boy was, and he placed the boy inside it indeed. (7) He dug a hole, and he buried him indeed. The boy took out all the money he had, he paid the man. The boy went away, without any more money. 3. Some days later the boy was traveling along there again, as he went along he saw a small boy playing. The little boy said to him, "Where are you going? may I go along with you?" (2) The 1

Eyley Jr. heard this tale told by Dora Pete, a Klikitat from the Lewie River, west of the Cascades. The name given the story by Eyley is "tu'sxas lamtexni' wa'xpuc", "The Seven Headed Rattlesnake". Note the next tale which is a slightly different version. 2 da-'la or ta-'la, "dollar", "money", was early used in Chinook Jargon throughout the northwest, and was comfortably employed in ordinary speech in each of the native languages of the region.

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boy said to him, " N o ! I do not know where I am traveling to, and I also have no money for food on my way. Go back home to your mother and father!" (3) The (little) boy said to him, " N o ! I would rather follow close by you." He said to him, "Very well then!" 4. They went on, they came near a house. The little boy said to him, "Pretty soon a man will tell us, 'Stop a while and have mid-day meal before you go on!' (2) At the end of the meal he will say to you, 'Let us play!' Say to him, 'Very well! What kind of thing have you to play with V He will show you a large rock, that is what he rolls. You will say to him, 'No! I might throw and lose yours. You and this boy here play!' " 5. Indeed they came close to the house, a big man did run to meet them, and indeed he said to them, "Have mid-day meal with m e ! " They went with that man, indeed they lunched with him. (2) At the end of the meal the man said to them, ' 'Let us go and p l a y ! " He replied, "All right. What sort of plaything do you have ? " (3) He showed him a large rock. "This is what I throw and roll." The man said, " N o ! Let you and my boy play. I might throw your plaything and lose it." (4) The big man said to him, "If you win, you may kill me. If I beat you, I will kill you." The man (boy) replied, "Very well." The man thought, " I can beat the boy quickly and easily." 6. The man said to the boy, "You roll it first!" The boy said to him, "Why no! you first, because it is your plaything. I must learn how from you." So the man took that rock. (2) He thought, " I will beat the little boy." He took and threw that rock. It rolled not very far. He thought, "That little boy could never beat it." That man went to get the rock, he gave it to the little boy, the boy took it. (3) He rolled it just a little distance further. The man thought, "The rascal of a boy! Apparently he is strong." The boy now went to get it, he brought it back. (4) The man took it, he thought, " I will throw it further. The boy will never beat me." The man threw it some distance further. He went to get it a good distance away, and he brought it back to the boy. (5) He said to him, " I guess you have beaten me. Very likely I shall be unable to throw it so far, to as far as you just threw it." Then the boy took that rock, and he threw it still some distance further. (6) He ran and went to get it, and brought it back. The man thought, "Rascal of a boy! The little boy will very likely beat me." The man took it, he threw it with as much strength as he could, but it fell short. (7) The boy said to him, " I will go get it for you." — "Very well," the man said to him. The boy ran, just a short time, and he was back with it. (8) He gave it to the man. The man said, "This throw will be the last one. If I beat you, then I will have won over you. If you beat me, then

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you will have won over me." The m a n threw it again, with all his might. (9) I t fell some distance nearer (even less far). The boy went to get it again, he took t h a t rock, he played and threw it about some, then he threw it the f u r t h e s t yet. (10) The man said to them, "No no, my friends! I will be your servant. Do not kill me." They took his big knife, they chopped off (his head). The man and the boy went away. 7. The boy told him again, "There is another house nearby. The man will run to meet us, and he will tell us, 'Come a n d eat!' At the end of the meal he will say to you, 'Stop a while and help me at planting.' Tell him, 'Let my boy help y o u ! ' " 8. And, to be sure, they approached a house, a man ran to meet them, he said to them, "Come, e a t ! " Indeed t h e y went with the man. When t h e y had finished eating, he said to them, " H e l p me!" (2) The man said, "Very well." The man asked, "How do you do it ?" He replied, " W h y ! I take these oats, I take t h e m by handfuls, I hold them in my mouth, I blow them. (3) That is how I plant t h e m . " The man (boy) said to him, "All right." He showed him, "You will plant this much here, and I over there. If you beat me, then you will kill me. If I beat you, then I will kill you." The man (boy) said to him, "Let m y boy help you." The man thought, " I could beat the boy." 9. Then indeed the man took one full sack, he filled himself with it, he blew them, and t h e y were planted. The boy himself took one full sack, p u t the sackful into himself, he blew it once, and lo! it was planted. (2) T h a t was how in just a little time the boy finished ahead. He helped the man, he finished it for him. The man said to him, " L e t me be your servant, do not kill m e ! " They took his knife, they cut off (his head). They went on again. 10. The boy once more told him, "Soon again a man will run to meet us, he will tell you, 'Come and eat!' A t the end of the meal he will say to you, 'Come help me!' You will say to him, 'Let my boy help y o u ! ' " 11. Sure enough t h e y saw a man running t o meet them, he said to them, "Come and e a t ! " They went with t h e man. And even so at the end of the meal he said to them, "Come, help!" The man (boy) said, "Very well. W h a t shall we help you w i t h ? " The man told them, "At cutting oats." (2) The man showed them, "You will cut it for me from here out to there, while I will cut it from here. If you win, you will kill me. (3) If I beat you, I will kill you." The man replied, "Very well. B u t let my boy help." The man thought, "All right. I can easily beat the boy." 12. H e gave him a large scythe. The (little) boy indeed finished

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first, he helped the man (boy). In only a very little time he finished it. The man said to them, "Do not kill me. I will be your servant." They took his knife, they cut off (his head). Once more the man and the boy went on. 13. Again the boy told him. "There is another house nearby. He will come to meet us, and he will say to us, 'Come and eat!' Once again at the end of the meal he will tell you, 'Come, help!' You will say to him, 'Let my boy help!' " 14. Sure enough they approached it, while they were still at a distance away he ran to meet them, he said to them, "Come and e a t ! " They went with him. And even so, at the end of the meal he said to them, "Come, help me, my friends!" (2)The man replied, "All right! But let my boy help!" The man told them, " I have two stacks of oats. Help me thresh them. You thresh one while I (do) the other. If you win, you will kill me. If I beat you. I will kill you." 15. So the men threshed. The boy beat him. He helped him and finished it for him in very little time. The man said to them, "How may I be your servant ? I will make everything yours, whatever I possess, if you do not kill me." They took his knife, they cut off (his head). 16. The (little) boy said to the man (boy), "Do you know who I am ?" The man replied, " I do not know you." The boy said to him, " I am that very one who was dead, for whom you paid all your money to my father, that he might bury me. (2) I am a dead person. I have gone with you only for the sake of your own life. Further, I will help you to obtain a woman, whichever one you desire, a red cheeked one. I am going to leave you here. I will come to see you when it is dark. (3) Go along on this trail, you will come to still another house, that woman with the red cheeks is there. You will reach that place. She will ask you, 'How do you happen to have come V You will tell her, 'I have come to get you.' (4) She will say to you, 'All right!' You will eat, you will finish the meal. She will say to you, 'Let us play cards!' She will bet a breast pin against you." 17. The man went on, and came to there indeed, to that house. There indeed was the red cheeked woman. He went to the place. She asked him, "How do you happen to come here?" He said. "Why indeed! I came to get you." She replied, " S o ! You may get me before many days." They ate, they finished eating. 18. She said to him, "Let us play cards! I will bet you a breast pin. If you beat me, I will let you have it for your wife." They played cards, he did win that breast pin. She gave it to him, she

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said to him, "If you become sleepy, there is a bed in the next room." The man indeed became sleepy. 19. Near daylight Death Person came to him, he asked him, " Where is your breast pin ?" The man looked for it, but there was nothing there. He could not find it anywhere. (2) Death Person said to him. "She took it from you. Let me get it from her! I will return it to you." Death Person went, right away he was there, and he returned that breast pin to him. 20. In the morning they ate. The woman asked him, "Where is your breast pin ?" The man took it out, he showed it to her. "Here I have i t ! " The woman thought, "He must be a powerful being. He is certainly the one who killed my older brothers." 21. Again in the evening the woman said to him, "Let us play cards! I have a comb, I will bet it against you, it will be fine for your woman." And so they played cards, the man won. She gave him the comb. The man went to sleep. 22. Again near dawn Death Person came to him, he inquired of him, "Where is your comb ?" The man looked for it, but could not find it. He said to him, "While you were asleep she stole it from you. (2) Let me go and get it from her and I will return it to you." Death Person went, in a moment he was back, he returned the comb to him. 23. In the morning when they were eating the woman asked him, "Where is your comb ?" He took it out, he showed it to her. "Here I have i t ! " The woman went away. 24. There was a man, Rattlesnake. The two of them loved one another. This woman went there to him, the woman asked him, "Where is your comb ?" Rattlesnake searched for it, but there was nothing there. (2) The woman told him, "He has it over there. He must be a powerful and dangerous being. Certainly he must have killed my older brothers." 25. Again in the evening the woman said to him, "Let us play cards! I will bet a ring against you. If you beat me, you will have it for your woman." They played indeed, the man won, she gave him the ring, she told him, "Take good care of it! I t will be for your woman." The man went to sleep. 26. Near dawn, Death Person came to him, he asked him, "Where is your ring?" He searched for it, but it was not there. He told him, "She took it from you. But I will get it from her again, and I will return it to you." Death Person went away, he stole it from Rattlesnake, he returned that ring to the man. 27. In the morning at the meal the woman asked him, "Where is your ring ? If you have it, let us marry at high sun tomorrow.''

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The man took it out, he showed it to her. " I have it, here." She said to him, "Put it away! Keep it for your wife." 28. The woman went again to Rattlesnake's, she went to him, she asked him, "Where is your ring ?" He looked for it, but it was not there. The woman told him, "He has it, yonder. (2) He certainly must be a powerful man, he must have killed my older brothers." The woman told him, "This is the very last one now, it will be a bracelet I will bet. (3) Should he beat me, I will take it from him. Hide it real well now! put it under your pillow! Lock the house! You should be holding a knife. Do not fall asleep now. And should he come here, kill him!" 29. In the evening the woman said to him, "Let us play cards for the very last time. I will bet you a bracelet, that bracelet is the last thing I possess now. (2) Should you beat me, you may have it for your wife, because then we will marry tomorrow." They played cards, the man won, she gave him that bracelet, to be sure. She said to him. "Watch it well! you might lose it too." The man went to sleep. 30. Close to sunrise Death Person came to him, he asked him, "Where is your bracelet ?" He searched for it, it was nowhere. He told him, "She took it from you. (2) I will take it away from her, I will return it to you." Death Person went away, shortly he brought his thing back to him, he returned it to him. 31. In the morning she asked him, "Where is your bracelet ?" The man took it out, he showed it to her, " I have it here, this is it." The woman said to him, "Shortly, after high noon, we will marry. (2) Do not go anywhere, be careful, remain right here, because in a short while I shall want to ask you just one more thing." 32. The woman went away, she reached Rattlesnake, she asked him, "Where is your bracelet?" Rattlesnake searched for it, he could not find it at all. The woman said to him, "He has it yonder. (2) How did he come to you?" Rattlesnake replied to her, "He did not at all! I had the house completely locked, and I did not sleep." The woman said to him, "Take good care of yourself now!" 33. Death Person came to the man himself, he said to him, "She will come to you shortly, she will ask you, 'What could I have kissed?' Then when she comes, I will go, I will get Rattlesnake's head, I will give it to you." (2) Death Person went, he brought back the principal head of Rattlesnake, he said to him, "Hide it! if she asks you, you will show this to her." 34. The woman went, she came to the man, she asked him, "This is the very last I have to ask of you, What did I kiss ? if you tell me and show me, you may be my husband." The man took out the

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head of rattlesnake, he showed it to her, ' This is the thing you kissed." 35. The woman wept, the woman ran back, the man ran and followed her, he said to her, " L e t him be! he was a dangerous being. You do not wish to have a dangerous being for a husband. I on the contrary am a person.'" The woman wept a long time. Then indeed they married on that day. 36. He (Death Person) met the man alone in the evening, and he said to him, " I am leaving you now. If anything happens, I will come again to warn and explain to you. You have obtained that woman whom you desired, the one with rosy cheeks." Death Person left him. 37. The man continued to dwell there, married now. 2. T h e g r a t e f u l d e a d boy a n d t h e e x t r a o r d i n a r y panions.

com-

1. A boy went along, he found a dead boy near the road, a house was nearby there, he went towards it, he came to a man, he said to him, "A dead boy is lying near the road. (2) I will give you two dollars to bury him." The man said to him, " W h y certainly not. He was a bad boy, too mischievous, and so I killed him. (3) I certainly would not lay hands on him for anything." The boy said to him, " B u t if I give you five dollars." The man said to him, "Certainly not. (4) I told you that I positively would not lay hands on him for anything." The boy said to him, " I t ' s too pitiful. I will give you ten dollars to bury him." The man said to him once more, " I would not lay hands on that worthless thing for anything. (5) Keep your money, boy! and go on! let him be there! he was a bad boy." The boy said to him, " I assuredly would not leave him there. (6) I t is too pitiful for him to lie there alone by the roadside. I will give you everything, as much money as I have, a little more than ten dollars, if you become a good man, and bury the boy." (7) The man looked at the boy, and then he said to him, "Very well. I will bury him for your sake." (8) The man made a coffin for him, he carried him away, and buried him indeed. Then the boy gave him all his money, as much as he had. The boy went away. 2. Some days later he journeyed by there once again, and while going along he saw a little boy playing. He said, " D o not be playing right there, boy, there is a dead boy at that place." (2) The boy ran to him, and asked him, "Why are you journeying? Could I go with you ?" He told the boy, " N o ! (3) I am just going about here and there, and besides I have no money for food on the way. Go

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home! go away, boy!" The boy said to him, "But I will follow close by you." The boy followed him. 3. They went on, and while on the way the boy told him, "There is a house here. A large man will come to meet us, and he will say to us, 'Come and eat before going further!' and at the end of the meal he will say to you, 'Come let us play before you go!' You will tell him, 'You and my boy play!' " 4. They went on, indeed they did approach a house. The man saw them, he went to meet them, he said to them, "Come and eat, my friends." Indeed they went with the man, the man prepared food for them, they ate. (2) When they had finished eating, the man said to him, "Let us play." He asked him, "What sort of plaything do you have?" He brought him to a little open space, a large rock was there. (3) The man said to him, "This is the thing I roll." He said to him, "Let you and my boy play. Very likely I might throw and lose your plaything." (4) The man said to him, "If you win, you may cut off (my head), and the land and everything will be yours. But if I win from you, I will cut off your (heads)." — "Very well," said the man. (5) The man said to the boy, "You roll it first!" He replied, "Not at all. You first, because it is your own plaything." The man thought, "I could beat the boy, he is a small boy, he could not make it roll far at all." (6) The man took that large rock, he made it roll along, but the boy won over him. The man said, "Do not kill me! Could I not be just your servant ?" The boy took his large knife, he cut off (his head). They went on. 5. Going along the boy said to him, "I will be leaving you again. Do you not even recognize me ?" He told the boy, "I do not know you." The boy said to him, "I am that very boy myself, who was at the place where you paid out all your money to my father, so that he would bury me. (2) I am going to give you a yellow-brown shirt, you are to dress in that shirt, you are to wear it as long as you live, you will wear it next to your skin, only you are to wash it, as long as you wear it. Fear nothing, you may do anything, whatever you desire." The boy left him. 6. When he had finished putting on the shirt, he went on, he came upon a man, who twisted oaks with his hands. When he came to him, he asked him, "What are you doing ?" (2) He replied to him, "No. I am a strong man. I twist oaks, I pull and pull and pull till they are torn out completely." The man said to him, "This is the way it ought to be done, rather." (3) He held a number of them in fact, he did it with a single pull, they came out completely, and he threw them all away to a distance. The man said to him,

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"You are much stronger than I am. Let me go along with you." He followed him, they went away. 7. As they were going along they found a man, he was drinking, drinking, drinking up the lake. He asked him, "What are you doing ?" He replied to him, "No. I am a person who can drink in great quantities." He showed him. (2) "Watch me drink!" He drank a little of it, the lake did not become much less. The man said to him, "This is the way to drink it, rather." The man bent down to the water, he gulped the entire lake 1- • ^(SJHe said to him, "All right! you are a better man than I, my friend. Let me go along with you." They went on then. 8. As they went along they found a man carrying mountains here, there, here, there. When they reached him, he asked him, "What are you doing 1" He replied to him, "No. I am a strong man. I move mountains." (2) He said, "But this is the way to do it, rather." He took one mountain, he threw it far away. Again he took another, he hurled it even further away. (3) He said to him, "Yes indeed. You yourself are much more of a man than I am. Let me go along with you, my friends." The four of them went away. 9. They went on, again they found a man, he was pursuing Hons, tigers, grizzlies, he hit and hit and hit them. When they reached him, he asked him, "What are you doing?" (2) He replied, "No. I am a strong man. I have no fear whatever for those lions, tigers, (or) grizzlies." The man said, "This is the way I myself do it, rather." (3) He took out a small club, he threw it not very far, all of them were killed with just the one throw. He said to him, "Why yes, indeed. You are much more of a man than I am. Let me go along with you, my friends." The five of them went away then. 10. They went on, they found a house, they went towards it, it was an empty house, no one was there. They said, "Let this house be ours. Nothing could be done to us, no matter who possesses this house, because all of us are strong men." They remained there. 11. The next day four of them went to work, one of them stayed, the twister of oaks. He cooked stew. Towards noon, a fat boy came to him, and said to him, "Feed me! I am hungry." (2) He served it for him on a small dish, he gulped it all down. Again he said to him, "Serve it for me again!" Again he served him, again he gulped it all down. Once more he said to him, "Serve it for me!" (3) He said, "No! Wait! It will not be long before the workmen will arrive, you may eat with them." As he was taking away the dish, he (the boy) took the stew from him, he poured it on him, he fell down flat, he was burned, the boy left him. 1

Noisily sucking in the water.

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(4) When the workmen reached him, he was just commencing to cook. They asked him, "What was the matter with you?" He replied, "No. I was taking the stew from the fire, it slipped out of my hand, spilled on me, and burned me." They finished eating. 12. The next day they left the drinker of lakes to do the cooking. Towards noon, a fat boy came to him, and said to him, "I am hungry. Give me food!" Indeed he served it to him on a small dish, with one gulp he swallowed it all. (2) Again he asked him for it, again he prepared it for him, again he swallowed it all with a single gulp. Again he asked him, but he said, "No. The workers will come pretty soon, and you may eat with them." (3) He was taking away the dish, just when he was turning, he took the stew from him, poured it on his head, he fell down, and the boy left him at once. When they reached him, he was just starting to cook, he was burned all over. (4) They asked him, "What happened to you ?" He replied, "No. I was taking the stew from the fire, it slipped out of my hands, spilled on me, and burned me all over." 13. The next day they left the carrier of mountains to do the cooking. He cooked, when the stew was ready, the fat boy came to him, and said to him, "Give me food! I am hungry." (2) He served it for him on a small dish, he gave it to him, he gulped it all down. Again he wanted it, again he served for him, again he disposed of all of it in a single gulp. (3) Again he asked him, and then he said, "No. Wait! When the workers arrive, you may eat with them." (4) He took away the dish, just when he had turned, he took the stew from him, and poured it on his head from behind. He fell down, he was burned, the boy left him. (5) When they reached him, he was just about to arise, they asked him, "What happened to you ?" He replied, "No. I was taking the stew from the fire, and I got burned." The others laughed at him, they knew how it happened. 14. The next day they left the hitter of lions, tigers and grizzlies to do the cooking. The man cooked, he finished cooking the stew, when the fat boy came to him. (2) He said to him, "I am hungry. Give me food!" He served it for him on a small dish, he swallowed all of that in a single gulp. He asked him again, he served it for him, again he swallowed it all in just one gulp. (3) Once again he asked him, but he said, "No. When the workers arrive after a while, you may eat with them." Just when he was taking away the dish, he seized his stew, and poured it on his head from behind. (4) It burned him, he fell down, and then he left him. When the workers came to him, he was just starting to sit up, thoroughly burned from the stew. (5) They asked him, "What happened to you?" He said, "No. When I was taking the stew from the fire, 18

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it slipped from my hands, and burned me all over." (6) The brown shirted person said to him, "How is it that whenever you take it, the stew invariably slips from your hands ?" 15. The next day they left the brown shirted person to do the cooking. The brown shirted person cooked. When he was alone he thought, "I wonder why they have been letting the stew slip from them all the time V' (2) When the stew was cooked, the door came open, a strange breeze came out from underneath at the side of the room, in came a fat boy. (3) The brown shirted person thought immediately, "So that is the one who burned them!" He came to him, he said to him, "So you are cooking. (4) I am hungry. Feed me!" Pretending to go get the dish, he took out a small club, with it he struck him dead, and he covered him over there. 16. He felt in his pockets, he took out a bunch of keys held together, he opened the place where he had entered, and he saw there was another country down below. He shut that door once again. 17. The workers said to one another, "Now let us go see your comrade! He is probably lying burned." All of them laughed when they thought of the boy. (2) They all said they could beat the boy in a fight, but the boy burned them when they were not noticing. When they reached him he was already waiting for them with the meal. (3) They said to one another, "He could not have come to him." So they ate. During the meal, the brown shirted person said to them, "I wonder how you have been holding them, because you have constantly let them slip out of your hands." (4) Then he told them, "Here is something!" — "But what is it?" — "Oh nothing. It is just the thing that burned you." When he opened it the men saw it. They said, "That is the thing that burned me!" They all spoke alike. 18. The brown shirted person said to them, "Let me down below." They let him down below indeed. When he arrived down below he saw a large house. He went towards it, when he reached it a great dog leaped at him. (2) He struck the dog to death with his small club. A woman was there. She said to him, "You killed the dog for me, now you are to be my husband." 19. He came to her door, he took out the bunch of keys, he could not open it. The woman said to him, "Do not go there! I have a younger sister there and she has a dangerous dog. (2) It might bite and tear you." The man continued his efforts, he took one key after another. Then she showed him, with that one the man opened it, and a bear leaped at him. (3) Once again he struck it dead with his small club. The woman (there) said to him, "Now you are to be my husband, because you killed the dog for me."

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20. But once more he went on to another door, again he could not open it. The woman told him, " D o not go there! because I have a younger sister there, and she has a still more dangerous dog, and it might bite and tear you." (2) The man insisted with his efforts, again the woman showed him the right key. When he opened it, a cougar leaped at him. (3) He struck it dead with the small club. Again another woman said to him, " N o w you are to be my husband, because you killed the dog for me." 21. Again he went to another door, but he could not open it. A woman said to him, " M y younger sister is there, and she has a dog still more dangerous. I t might bite and tear you." But the man did his best to open it. 22. Now then.1 3. T h e t e s t s of t h e p r o s p e c t i v e s o n - i n - l a w . 1. The father and mother of a boy died, and the boy was left all alone. He was lonesome. He sold his place, he went away. He halted at a store, a negro was storekeeper. (2) He bought some small things. When he paid the negro saw his money, he thought, " T h e boy has a lot of money. I wonder if I could win some of the boy's money?" (3) He said to the boy, " L e t us play cards."—"Allright," the boy replied. They played cards, the boy beat him, the boy won all his money. (4) Then the negro bet his store. The boy won it from him. He tried betting his land, again the boy won it from him. Then the negro tried with all his live stock, and again the boy won from him. 2. The negro had nothing more, and so then the negro said to him, " I will wager myself. If you win from me, I will become your servant." The boy was not able to say no to him. (2) The negro said to him, " G i v e me another t r y . " Then, " A l l right," replied the boy. They played cards, the negro retrieved everything, he won all the boy's money. (3) The boy wagered himself, the negro beat him. The negro said to him, " I do not want you. Go in that direction, to the opposite side of the river, there is a house, go there!" 3. The boy went away. When he came to the river, there was no way he could cross, he went here and there at that place. An old woman reached him, she asked him, "What is the matter, grandson ?" (2) He said, " N o . A negro won all my money from me, and as for me, he told me to go in yonder direction, but I am quite unable to get across." (3) The old woman said to him, " H e is feeding you to it, grandson! the dangerous thing will devour you, it is an eater of persons." The boy said, "But I am going to go notwithstanding, 1

Eyley did not remember the rest of the tale. 18»

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because the negro told me to." (4) The old woman said to him, ' This is the way I am now, I have no children any more. It was that cannibal that ate mine." 4. The old woman said to him, "Let me go and ask different things, what can be done." She asked all the dishes, but none of them knew. (2) She asked the knives, forks and spoons, but none of them knew. She went outside and asked the cat, it just meowed (ma'w'). (3) She asked the dog, it barked (wa''), it did not know at all. Again, she asked the rooster, it crowed (a-'"a-'"a-''), it did not know either. (4) She asked the geese, they made a noise, she listened, she said, "They are the ones who know, grandson!" 5. The old woman told him, "According to them there are girls, when they go bathing, you will go, you will note which way the wind is blowing, but you will not go to them there, from where the wind blows. (2) You will watch them bathing. The youngest one has blue-green garters. When she is all alone, because she is the last one to bathe, you will seize her clothes, and not until she names you her husband, will you return them to her. (3) She is the one who can save your life, she will tell you what to do. That is what the birds say, my grandson." (4) Then the old woman gave him a cane, and said to him, "Throw this across the river, and you will be able to cross over it. When you have reached the other side, throw it back." (5) The boy went, he threw that cane, and indeed there was a foot log bridge at once. The boy crossed, he reached the opposite side, he took that cane, he threw it back. 6. He went on, he saw the swimming place, he saw which way the wind was blowing, and he stayed there. Then he saw the girls, they arrived while he hid out of sight. (2) One of them said, "There is an odor of a person, it seems to me there must be a person nearby." The others said, "There must be tracks of whomever your father killed this morning." (3) She said, "No. It smells rather as if it were a live one." That one of them did not go in swimming, she ran away, she went home. The others went in to bathe, after a while they ran away, they went home. 7. The only one who was left was the one whose garters were blue-green. The boy ran to her, he seized the girl's garments, he sat down on them. When she saw him, she said to him, "Oh hurry! go far away! My father may find out about you, catch you, and eat you." (2) The boy said, "Not until you call me something rather nice by name, will I return them to you." (3) The girl named him older brother, younger brother, father's brother, mother's brother, brother's son, everything the girl could think of, but they were not at all close enough to the boy. (4) The girl became cold, she did not

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know another thing as a name for the boy. She was becoming too cold. She thought, " I will name him husband and then go." (5) She said to him, "Give them to me! return my clothes to me! my husband!" The boy rose at once, he returned all the clothes to the girl, the girl dressed. 8. When the girl finished dressing she gave him the garters, she said to him, "Later when you reach the house, my father will go to meet you. He will bring you to where he has a large block, and he has a large axe. (2) You will kick aside that large block of his, and you will seize that axe, and throw it aside. (3) You will say, I did not come so that you may devour me. I am also a cannibal myself. If you wish, let us eat each other! I am not seeking human food, I am seeking work.' (4) You will take hold of the old man, and you will give him a shaking. Then he will say to you, 'Well, come and eat!' They will prepare left overs for you to eat. (5) You will take them and throw them outside. You will say, 'That food is only for dogs! If you do not give me food, I will eat you!' (6) Then they will serve you good food. When you work, if ever you wish me, think of me, and I will come to you." 9. The boy went, he reached there, the old man saw him, he said, " A h ! food has come!" He went to meet him, he took him by the hand, he dragged him along, he led him to where there was a large block and an axe. (2) The boy kicked away that large block of his, it rolled far away. He snatched that axe, he threw it far away. (3) He said to the old man, " I am also a cannibal myself. If you wish, let us eat each other! I was only looking for work." He said to the boy, "Well, come then! go and e a t ! " 10. The old man took him into the house, and said to the old woman, "Prepare food! he is hungry." The old woman prepared it for him, she gave him left overs. (2) The boy took them, threw them outside, and said, "That food is just for dogs. If you do not give me good food, I will eat you." They prepared food for him, they served it to him. 11. He took the boy and showed him the work. He told him to manure the ground. He showed him a horse, and an antiquated pitch-fork, parts of it broken. (2) He showed him a rather large (field), that was what he had to manure. The old man left him. The boy looked here and there, he did not know what to do about it, the pitchfork was too old, and he could not do anything with it. (3) He thought of the girl, he did not recall what the girl had told him. The girl came to him, he was alone there weeping. The girl said to him, "You're useless! why are you not working ? and you are the very one who made me cold in the water!" (4) Then the

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girl helped him, in no long time they finished. The girl said to him, "Show it later to the old man. If he gives you work again tomorrow and you are not able to do it, think of me, and I will be there." 12. In the evening the boy said to the old man. ' I have finished. I'll show it to you." The boy took him. he showed him. The old man took a look at it, the old man said. "Did you see my daughter anywhere ?" (2) The boy asked him at once, "Have you a daughter ?" The old man laughed, and said, "Oh not at all. I just made a mistake, my friend." 13. The next day he gave him the task of making a barn. Again he gave him various old things. The handle of the axe was almost broken, and the boy could not do anything with it, there was nothing he could work at. (2) Again he wept alone there, again he thought of the girl, " I wonder what the girl told m e ? " There the girl appeared, the girl said to him, "You are useless! and you made me cold in the water, and also want me for your wife!" (3) The girl helped him, in no long time they finished. The girl said to him, "Show it later to the old man, maybe." (4) She left him a large maul, she said to him, "Tell the old man later to strike that place yonder with this thing, it has not been put in yet, if he is unable to lift it, you will strike it with one hand." (5) She left the boy, but before going she said to him, " I f you wish me again, think of me, and there I will be." 14. In the evening the boy said to the old man, " I have finished, let me go and show it to you." The boy went and showed him the barn. The boy said to him, "Can you strike yonder with this maul?" (2) The old man was unable to lift that maul. The boy went to it, and struck it with that maul with one hand. (3) The old man said, "Where have you seen my daughter?" The boy asked him, "Do you have a daughter ? Where is your daughter ? This is the second time you spoke of your daughter." The old man said, "No, friend. I made a mistake. I have no children whatever." 15. The next day he gave him the task of making a large house. Again the boy went here and there, but did not know how to do it. Again he thought of the girl, and there she was, the girl helped him make the house. (2) The girl said to him, "Tomorrow evening he will arrange a dance. He will tell you as follows, 'You will select the one of them that you desire. I have daughters.' As soon as you recognize me, you will choose me. If you do not pick me, he will kill you." She left him. 16. In the evening the boy told the old man, " I have completed the house. Go look at i t ! " They went, they looked at the house, the old man said to him, "Where have you seen my daughter ?" (2) The

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boy said to him, "Speak the truth! old man! Have you daughters ? where are your daughters ? (3) Three times now, for the third time you spoke of your daughter." The old man said, " Y e s ! I have five daughters. Tomorrow night I shall give a dance, all my daughters will come. (4) Whichever one you wish, that one you may have as wife. After that dance, that one will be your wife." 17. The next night the old man and the boy went, they sat down at the end of the house. The old man told him, "My daughters will enter shortly, and you will choose which one you desire to be your wife." (2) Then indeed five girls entered. The old man said to him when they were before them, "Take this one!" but the boy would not. That was how it was, until the very last one, where the youngest of them appeared. (3) That was the one the boy seized. The old man said immediately to him, " L e t her go again! you just chose the most worthless one of them, while you allowed the good girls to go by." 18. When they left the room, they exchanged clothes, once again they entered, they went around, the youngest girl was in another place, she was the one whom the boy again seized. (2) The old man said to him, "You are taking a different one now." Again he let her go, again the girls went away, they went into the next room, again they exchanged clothes, again they came, again they circled about, his girl was in still a different place. (3) Once again he seized her. The old man said to him, "You are a silly minded boy, you take one after another of my daughters." (4) The boy released her then, again they went to the other room, again they exchanged clothes, again they came. The old man said to him, "Choose that very same one now! do not be taking one of my daughters after another." (5) His girl was the very first one this time, he picked her. The old man said to him, "You have taken all of my girls, you pick one after the other." 19. The dance took place till midnight. Her mother showed the girl her bed. She said to her, "That is where you (two) may spend the night, when you wish to sleep." (2) The boy said, " I am sleepy." The girl said to him, "No! that bed is prepared. Should we stay there, it would carry us and make us drop and fall far down below in there. (3) They want to kill you with that bed." The girl said to him, "Make preparations! let us leave." They left. (4) But before going the girl had told her older sister, " W e are going far away, so that they do not kill him. Take a handful of peas, pour them on a dish, and place them above the lamp." 20. They went away. The older sister did indeed take a handful of peas, put them on a dish, and set it above the lamp. Then those

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peas popped from the heat, (saying) "Deuce, queens, jacks, ace," and so forth. (2) The old woman called out to them, "Go to sleep! You have been playing cards a long time." I t kept on like that until the sun rose, that was how they sounded as if they were playing cards. (3) Then they looked in, they were not there, the bed was unchanged, only those peas were crackling. (4) They went to that oldest girl, they asked her, that one of them replied, " I do not know where they went. I thought they were merely playing cards." 21. The old man tracked them, he followed them. The two of them went on, and as they went along they found a bear at a log collecting odorous ants. (2) The girl said, "Let us pry open the log for you, so that you can obtain even more odorous ants to eat." Indeed they pried open that log for him, indeed the bear obtained a great many of them. (3) They said to him, "Put your paw further deeply in it!" The bear did put his paw deeply into it, they quickly took out the toolusedforpryingitopen, they left the bear with his paw caught init. 22. They went on, again they encountered two deer playing and wrestling with each other. Again the girl said, "Let us show you how it ought to be played." She took them by the antlers, she entangled their (antlers), they were absolutely unable to tear themselves apart. 23. The old man found the bear, he asked him, "Did you see a boy and a girl ?" The bear replied to him, "Yes! They traveled by here, and they caused me to be caught in this log." He helped the bear, and took out his paw. The old man said to him, "The rascals! I'll fix them when I catch them!" 24. The old man went on again, on his way he encountered the two deer with interlocked antlers. He asked them, "How did it happen to you." They told him, "No. A girl and a boy traveled by, and showed us a game, but they caused our antlers to be entangled one with the other." (2) With difficulty did the old man tear apart their (antlers). Beforegoinghesaid, "I'll fix them when I catch them." 25. Then the girl said to the boy, "He is approaching nearer to us." As she went along many tacks came out of the girl's shoes. She held those tacks. Then they saw him, "The old man is coming pretty close now." The girl said, "Do not look back!" (2) He caught up to them, when he had nearly seized them, the girl turned towards him, and threw a handful of those tacks at his eyes. The old man plunged to the ground, both his eyeballs cut through. 26. Before they went away the girl said, "You alone were a cannibal. From now on everyone will be pleased to have a son-in-law."

REMINISCENCES OF KITTITAS L I F E Mrs. Dan Secena 1. t'saya'ix was the father of wa'xamluD (who was grandmother of Mrs. Dan Secena, who bears the same name), this son of t'saya'ix was wiya'ipax, wiya'ipax was the younger brother of wa'xamluD, and this one was a younger sister of wa'xamluD. (2) So many sons and daughters t'saya'ix had, there were many sons and daughters of t'saya'ix. t'saya'ix himself was a brave man. (3) t'saya'ix used to go far away, he stole people, the children he made slaves, t'saya'ix had wealth, rascal that he was! When there were a great many, he gave such slaves to the people, but they would become angry with (other) people. That was how he was chief. He would carry away people, because he was chief. 2. All those children of his married, wa'xamlut married in this direction, in the direction of the ocean, one son married among the ta'itnapam (upper Cowlitz), another married yonder at wi-na'tca (Wenatchee). (2) All the sons and daughters were married then. He became just an old man, as an old man he no longer was chief. (3) There were many friends of the old man, they took good care of the old man. And then that old man died, while his sons and daughters (scattered) all over. That was t'saya'ix, the pcwa'nwapam, long ago. It was his daughter who was wa'xamlut. 3. There were a great many people. There was cu'cucqan, an upper (chieftain) class person. There was walahi', an upper class person, a'uxai was an upper class person. (2) kama'yaqan (was) a pcwa'nwapam. Another one was tca'wawai, a chief of the pcwa'nwapam. tiya'yac (was) a pcwa'nwapam chief, kiya'itani (was) a pcwa'nwapam (woman), tipa'nlxau was a pcwa'nwapam (woman), antwa 'n 1 wi 'nwal (was) a pcwa'nwapam (woman). (3) They named a pcwa'nwapam (woman) sa'tk". kwa'xsapam (was) a pcwa'nwapam (woman), (and) ma'munacat. That one was named wiya'ipax. 4.1 will tell you of my father kt'sa'p, a very brave pcwa'nwapam. When they shot at him, they could not kill so brave (and powerful) a man. He had a younger brother a'wnapc. (2) kt'sa'p was (also) named saya'mxan, a pcwa'nwapam name. His father was kuyu'pqan, 1

From French, "Antoine"( ?).

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kuyu'pqan was a su-qwa'mc (probably, Suquamish tribe), kuyu'pqan's mother was a mo'qlcu person (Muckleshoot Indian). 5. When there were people long ago, they constantly sought spirit powers. When a boy became big, he might become a shaman, and doctor sick persons. (2) That was how they all sought spirit powers, and became shamans. When a spirit power appeared to them, t h e y would become shamans. T h a t is how some of the people were long ago. (3) B u t others (were) not shamans, (they were) ordinary (common) persons. People who had spirit powers danced, (there were) a great m a n y people (at winter power dances), they ate all sorts of things, they were joyful with their spirit power. (4) T h a t is how the people used to be, when there were many, many people, (and) m a n y shamans. The shamans doctored sick persons, t h a t is how those people used to be. 6. They killed all sorts of things, and ate them. And so the women indeed looked for fruits and berries, the women gathered all sorts of fruits and berries, the women who were strong searched for them. (2) They picked blackberries and huckleberries. T h a t is how the people used to be long long ago. They gathered all sorts of things, and they were strong, because those people of yore ate everything. (3) Numbers of the people would go far away, t h e y looked for every kind of thing. They were fine then, the people liked one another. (4) They brought home quantities of fruits and berries, and then they had a vast amount of food in their homes. T h a t is how those people were long long ago, t h e y were not poverty stricken, those people were fine, long ago. 7. T h a t one was wa'xamlut (Mrs. Secena's grandmother). When wa'xamluD would say, " L e t us go for blackberries, let us go and pick service berries!" (then they would go). (2) She was the head person, she would take along a great m a n y women with her, the women in numbers would pick blackberries, and they would bring t h e m home. (3) There they had the people eat blackberries, and also service berries. They had the people eat them. T h a t is how the women used to be, strong ones t h a t they were, t h e y picked every kind of thing. (4) They thought t h e y should have a large amount of food in their houses. They dried it for winter use, so t h a t they could eat it, so t h a t in winter time they should not hunger. (5) I t was for very good uses t h a t they sought all kinds of things. That is how the women used to be long ago, they used to be strong, they gathered many things, and so they h a d quantities of food there. (6) Perhaps t h e n they might share the food with a poor woman. The women were exceedingly happy, when they had collected a large amount of fruits and berries, and the strong women were especially happy,

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(those) women who were berry pickers. (7) That is how the pcwa'nwapam women of long ago used to be, strong women (they were). The women never became tired at picking berries, for when they worked only at that, they were happy. (8) They would go, and as they went along they would sing, that is how they were happy. I suppose t h a t is all I will tell now about the pcwa'nwapam. 8. There was the river (Columbia), there were many t'swa'n (a fish), there were Chinook salmon for food in the river, there were many eels in the river, (and) suckers. (2) Those were what the pcwa'nwapam people ate, they had a large supply of food. They had graylings for food, they had every kind of thing for food there in the river. (3) They had fish dams, there they caught Chinook salmon, the people were very delighted, when they caught Chinook salmon at the fish dam. That is how the people used to be long long ago. (4) The people never hungered, they always had quantities of food. When they dried Chinook salmon, they were exceedingly happy, they dried numbers of them. (5) That is how the people used to be. They never lacked food. With it the pcwa'nwapam used to be strong, they used to be brave strong people. The shorter ones grew to be big and strong with their food. 9. There they used to have an old man who always beat the short ones, so t h a t the short ones would grow to be strong. That old man beat them constantly, and then the short ones grew to be strong and invincible. (2) That is how the people used to be. That old man made them strong, the old man beat the short ones, and then indeed the short ones grew up to be shamans. Now I have finished telling you all of that. 10. When there were people long ago, they would always be short-moccasined, many (most) of them would have small feet, if they were upper class, then small feet. (2) But if common people, then big feet. That was the teaching of the people, they desired small feet, t h a t was their way. They did not want big feet, if upper class, then small feet. (3) But if lower class good-for-nothings, then big feet as of lower class. That is how the people used to be. 11. When the (Indian) people used to be (there), a chief used to be there, he would always (be the one to) speak for any (necessary) thing. None but (such as) he would speak, because he was a chief. (2) There were not a number of chiefs. Not unless some man were strong and powerful, would he be chief. That is how the pcwa'nwapam people used to be. He would always be chief, until as chief he died. (3) Then another man would become chief, perhaps his younger brother would become chief. That is how the pcwa'nwapam people were long long ago, the pcwa'nwapam were fine people

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indeed. (4) Not unless he were chief would he speak, and then they would take action, and they would go wherever that chief said. (5) That chief himself governed all the time. He would say to his friends, "Do not harm anything!" They would take good care of things (then). That is how that chief would speak to his friends. That is how his orders were. Now I have told you all of that. 12. At the place where the pcwa'nwapam used to live, there is now the town of the white people, there where the high class people of long ago used to be. There the whites now are, (at) kta'tac, the place of t'saya'ix (Mrs. Secena's great grandfather). (2) There where those whites are now, all the people of yore used to be there. Many pcwa'nwapam were there. All along the length of that stream, there the pcwa'nwapam people used to go. They lived close together, many of them near to the river. (3) Far along it they lived at the river, as long as that river was, all along it they lived. There were many people then, but it is no more like that now. (4) When the whites came, the (Indian) people disappeared, they had gone to two places, (some of) those people went away, many went to nacpi-'lam (Nespelem), but there are no longer many of them there, they have died, there are no longer many of them. (5) The others came to Yakima, and now many of them are dying there, only their sons and daughters (are) still alive. But they have many offspring, those who went to Yakima. That is how the people have been.

PART. 3. ABSTRACTS C K Kit UC UWP

Cowlitz Klikitat Kitlitas Upper Cowlitz Klikitat, in University of Washington Publications in Anthropology, Vol. 2, No. 6, pp. 175—244, 1929. (Northwest Sahaptin Texts, I.) (Figures in parentheses in margins refer to page numbers in UWP.)

T h e Moon as t r a n s f o r m e r (K 40; C, UC 139; UC 238) Coyote makes two daughters from salmon milt. They flee him when he calls them his wives. They steal Moon baby from a blind old woman; pursuing Moon baby, the old woman is carried by her daughter who runs faster with the burden than without it. Blue J a y joins in the pursuit of Moon who blinds Blue J a y by throwing pieces of flint at him. Moon Boy grows up and obtains five women. Moon transformer instructs people who cook by dancing how to cook with fire. He teaches people who fear to approach streams to use fish spears and catch salmon. He kills a dangerous boy who keeps dangerous wolf and grizzly Dogs under his armpits. People victimized by dangerous Lice he shows how to shampoo and use combs. He contends with an ogress who bakes persons, and to kill her he trips her into a fire. He kills a treacherous ferryman who tips travelers into the river. He kills Buzzard who makes a salmon trap of living people; he teaches people how to make wooden fish traps. Moon hunts deer which die when he shows them cedar bark dyed red. Sun kills people when he goes at night, so Moon and Sim change: Sun goes in daytime, Moon at night. Jesus sends Crow below; Crow eats the eyes of the people; Jesus makes him a mere crow. He sends Coyote below to confer place names, make streams and fish-catching, root, berry, and other sites; he makes all sorts of food and fire wood. A man and woman are eyeless and mouthless; the Devil opens their eyes and mouths; therefore Jesus makes life short for the people; he gives them prayers. Coyote goes on and makes the heavenly bodies. He comes to where people cook by dancing and teaches them how to make fire and cook with it. He finds people forming a human fish dam and teaches them how to make wooden dams and dip nets. 19

139 140

141 40 41 42 141

142 238 239 240 241

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213 214 215 216

126 127

128 129

130 131 132

(223) (224) (225) (226) (227) 64 67 66

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T h e C o y o t e Cycle (Kit 213) Coyote destroys the fish dam of the Eagle people; they thrash him and throw him into the river but he breaks their dam. He tells a man who bites wood when making a canoe how to use a rock adze. He steals a plaything which later is taken away from him. He shows people how to cross stream by canoe rather than by foot log bridge. He reaches cannibals who attempt to roast him but he leaps away. (C, UC 126) Coyote floats on a raft into the River Swallower. Moon and Sun crash into and cut open the monster, releasing Coyote and the people within. Entangled by Intestines woman, Coyote cuts her intestines and kills her. Wild Cherry Bark man wraps up Coyote with bark, Coyote cuts it and kills him. Coyote contends with the air sucking monster; Coyote's five tie ropes break and he is drawn within the monster. He makes a fire inside and kills it. Fox joins Coyote and advises him to present a blanket to the Rock Batterer when passing it. Coyote does so, changes his mind and takes back his blanket, the Rock smashes him; it passes Fox and falls into a lake. Fox takes leave of Coyote. A Buffalo crashes down four trees on which Coyote takes refuge. Coyote placates the Buffalo by making him horns. Buffalo tells him to move camps with invisible people. Coyote shoots a buffalo cow, butchers it, is attacked and carried away by her buffalo brothers. They step over their buffalo sister to revive her. (K 64, 96; UWP 223) Coxote fetches game shot by Eagle. Coyote encounters a bird woman; she seeks Eagle; he rejects her. Coyote wants her, but not desiring him she turns into Chinook Salmon woman. He ordains that men will seek women; women will not seek men. Coyote encounters the river swallower and is gulped down; he cuts its heart; the people emerge. To deceive a one armed and one legged man Coyote becomes a salmon, but he is speared. A woman comes to Eagle, Coyote receives her. When Eagle takes her, Coyote leaves Eagle. Coyote annoys the swallowing monster, is gulped down, cuts the monster's heart; all the people escape from inside.

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An ogress cannot induce Coyote to cross stream on Crane's leg; Coyote crosses by canoe. He dupes and kills the ogress by pretending to make her white with burning pitch. To deceive a one armed and one legged man he becomes a salmon but is speared. He transforms his faeces sisters into dogs, they kill two dangerous dogs that belong to a boy. Making a faeces sister into a rock, he contends with a Rock Thrower, defeats him; Rock Thrower gives Coyote a powerful cane. Coyote makes a hoop of his sister; using arrows from the magic cane he defeats a chief at the hoop game; the chief gives him a powerful knife. Coyote ordains that women be loaned for a night.

67 68 69 70 71 72 73

(K 74) Coyote'8 faeces sisters teach him how to employ fish barriers and 74 dip nets. He ordains the use of basket traps and fish weirs. His 75 sisters tell him how to spear fish from a canoe. He trades penises 76 with a man whose penis fells trees; when the penis bites and exhausts him he returns it. (UWP 199) Coyote has no luck at hunting because he had carelessly cast (199) aside two unborn fawns. His faeces sisters advise him to clean himself by sweating. He ordains that hunters will insure luck by means of sweating. (UC 190; UWP 227) Coyote is grieved by the death of his two children. He goes away; his faeces sisters tell him to call under water at the dead people's river. He finds his children in the land of the dead. Having arranged to leave, he carries a pack with the dead people in it. He ignores voices behind him. But as the voices become louder he runs and loosens the pack; the dead people return to the land of the dead and he can not follow them. He comes to a town of white people; he gives the Bible to the leader there. Had Coyote carried the pack home unopened, there would be no death.

(227) (228) (229) (230) (231( 191

(UC 188, 245) While going along Coyote passes the ogress with vagina dentata 188 who seduces and kills travelers. He heats rocks, thrusts them into 189 her, kills her. He clubs her five babies but they live until his faeces 19*

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sisters advise him to pierce their five hearts which dangle from rafters. In future visitors will merely share food and cohabit. 245 Travelers are enticed and killed by the ogress with vagina dentata. 246 Coyote thrusts a hot rock into her and she explodes. He ordains that copulation will be for making babies. (C, UC 111) 111 A blind cannibal uses four drumsticks which strike and kill passerby who watch him drumming; he devours them. Advised by Meadow Lark Coyote seizes a drumstick and it smashes the cannibal. (K 62, 63) 62 A child eats all the food obtained by his sisters; his belly becomes 63 enormous. Coyote kills the child; all the roots, fruits, berries spill out. (C, UC 147) 147 Coyote traps North West Wind. Frightened by it he relea148 ses it. 79 80

81 82 83

84 85

(K 79, 91; C, UC 103; UC 191) Grizzly woman becomes a dangerous Grizzly during her menstrual seclusion. In fright the people become various objects. To insure escape Grizzly's boy and girl tell their dog to point out wrong directions to Grizzly. When Grizzly emerges she kills everybody and destroys everything. Transformed into maggots Coyote avoids her. The dog's false directions delay Grizzly's pursuit of her children who marry. The girl tells her husband not to go in a certain direction. Disobeying, he encounters his mother, Grizzly. When he louses her he finds toads. She louses him and kills him. She finds her daughter who kills her by pushing her into a spring magically lowered. When Coyote approaches, the girl throws her food and herself into the fire. Coyote adopts her baby, Eagle. Eagle becomes a hunter, with seven wives: five Mice, Cricket, and Turtle Dove. Fire sparks revealing their privates, Coyote covets the Mice. Having defecated at a cliff shelf, Coyote induces Eagle to ascend it for eagles' feathers, makes the shelf higher magically, leaves Eagle stranded on it. Using Eagle's garments, Coyote pretends he is Eagle and lives with the Mice; he maltreats Cricket and Turtle Dove. He moves camp. Spider assists Eagle's descent. Eagle pursues, overtakes Cricket and Turtle Dove, steps on Turtle Dove's pack rope;

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recognizing him, these wives carry him to camp. Revealed to Coyote he takes back his garments. Hunting with Eagle Coyote is made to carry meat with a feeble pack rope of intestines. They cross four streams of increasing depth; Coyote floats away on the fifth, transforms himself into a floating deer carcass and tells a girl to have her grandmother copulate with him; when the old woman comes down to club him he floats on. He appears as a returned oldtimer and lives with five Wild Ducks. While they are absent digging he harangues their salmon in a pond. He makes weak digging sticks for the girls, strong ones and bone ladles for himself; he digs a trench from the pond to the river. When the girls learn of his attempt they run to him and strike his head which is protected by the ladles; his four ladles and four diggers break. With the fifth he completes the ditch; the fish swim out. Too late he reverses his cry sending the big fish downstream, the small ones upstream. He tries to seize salmon flapping on the bank; his faeces sisters advise him to club salmon. When he clubs and roasts salmon, Wolves magically put him to sleep, place a little food in his hand, and steal his roasts five times. His faeces sisters advise him to keep awake, put the Wolves to sleep and steal their egg roasts. They learn what he has been doing to them after five thefts of their eggs. Going on, he makes cascades, salmon streams, linguistic divisions, trade centers. As Coyote floats downstream he catches on trees and determines their uses. Coyote floats to the five Wild Duck girls in the guise of a baby in a basket. When held by them he touches their genitals. Eagle has four wives; his favorites, Turtle Dove and Dove, and the wives Coyote desires, Mouse and Cricket. Coyote floats to the Wild Duck girls as a baby on a concave wooden cradle; they take it to sleep with them. (UC 112; C 169; K 97; U W P 232) A chief's daughter defeats Fox and Coyote in foot races. Decapitated in penalty, they revive later. Coyote says it is to be the Sioux country there. In footracing Coyote is defeated by a bird and decapitated; Fox defeats Magpie who kills himself. Fox revives Coyote by stepping over him.

86

87 88

89 90 105 106 191 195

(232) (233) 112 113

(C 171; UC 206) Coyote picks up grouse children; their mother Grouse scares 171 Coyote and he drops unconscious; Frost Person steals his pack.

278 100 101 207 208

209 210 211 212

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(K 100; UC 207) Coyote exchanges eyes with a man who juggles his eyes. Buzzard catches the eyes Coyote is tossing. Blinded, Coyote picks flowers for temporary eyes, induces a bird boy to exchange eyes with him. Coyote exchanges rectums with Break Wind boy and obtains bow, arrows and target; the rectum breaks wind when he shoots; incessant breaking of wind exhausts him until his faeces sisters tell him to throw away the bow, arrows and target. He juggles his eyes, they are stolen by Buzzard, he makes temporary eyes of flowers, exchanges them with a bird boy. He kills and impersonates an old woman, is carried by her granddaughters with whom he copulates, to the place where he regains his eyes from persons playing with them. He deceives two elderly women travelers with grasshoppers he transforms into persons; he copulates with the women. He tells a girl to find and sit astride a guardian spirit power but he merely copulates with her.

(K 98; UC 177) Skunk simulates illness. His brother-in-law Coyote summons five Deer; they are induced to assist in carrying Skunk who ejects 99 musk and kills them. He and Coyote live on their meat. When hungry again they do the same thing to five Mountain Sheep. Having consumed them Coyote calls five Elks, who know what Skunk does. Skunk is impaled on an antler, carried away and thrown off a cliff. 177 Skunk kills Deer, Elk, Hornless Deer and Mountain Goats; he is horned and carried away by Horned Deer. 98

(C, UC 121) 121 A mischievous boy, deserted by his people, pulls off the arm 122 of a giant ogress. He claims he is able to fasten her arm back on; the people gather the ogress' people in a house and cremate them. Coyote bites off the tongue of a menstruating ogress girl. (K 93) 93 Coyote's son kills people who lose the ring game to him. Sons 94 of Wood Rat carry away Coyote's daughter after winning unfairly. Coyote and his people pursue in a canoe and enclose themselves in a huge pipe to pass safely through five rapids. In the same way they 95 survive the fumes of human bones used for fuel by Wood Rat. Wood Rat's son in the guise of a salmon is speared and killed by Coyote's son. Coyote and his people paddle home, escaping Wood Rat who pursues for five rapids. Wood Rat becomes a mere animal.

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(C, UC 102, UC 243) Coyote borrows Wren's penis, extends it across the river to a girl; it is cut off. Coyote goes across, masquerades as a shaman, pretends to doctor the girl until Flea spies on him. Coyote extends his penis across stream to five girls; it is too short; he borrows Wren's penis which has to be fed with pieces of bark; it reaches across into the eldest girl; it is cut off with sharp grass and "killed". Masquerading as a shaman Coyote is summoned across stream to doctor on the girl. He treats her alone in a sweat house, removes the penis from her; he flees before he is hit by birds.

102 103 243 244

(C, UC 146) Coyote sickens, tells his five daughters to take care of a friend 146 should he come, then dies. The friend, who is Coyote in disguise, 147 arrives and becomes the girls' husband. The people discover it is Coyote cohabiting with his own daughters. Coyote flees. (K 55, 57, 59) A man secures food for Coyote by praying. Coyote kills the man and takes his belongings. Coyote climbs up to the land of the dead. He is dismissed to the country below again, to become a mere coyote. Meat appears to Coyote and his wife. Coyote finds the Tick man who has been his guardian and kills him; everything at the man's place becomes deer; they flee. His power lost Coyote becomes poor; hungry, he kills and eats his wife. He travels eastwards. Coyote sucks his penis, Cloud steps on him, tears off his penis. On his travels Coyote overhears people gossiping about him at every village. He shoots at the moon.

55 56 57 57 58 59 61 62

(C 168) Naha'ntci's bowlegged grandson and Coyote's five sons attempt 168 to steal the rainbow; Coyote's sons are killed. Coyote and Naha'ntci 169 urinate on each other to ascertain who will become yellow and so evidence his childlessness. Coyote, weeping, falls backwards and is killed by a rock placed by Naha'ntci. T h e O r i g i n of F i r e (C, UC 145; UWP 179) To obtain the fire in the sky Grizzly orders the people to make (179) arrows. Their shots fall short until Sapsucker hits the sky; he starts (180) two arrows ladders and the people ascend. Beaver floats into the

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sky people's fishtrap; he is caught and nearly skinned. When the earth people make a timely attack he escapes, steals fire, and flees (181) holding it under his armpit. He and his people climb down again and break the ladders. His youngest daughter finds fire in his smallest claw. He stores the fire in tree roots. The sky people fail to quench the earth fire with a deluge of rain. T h e O r i g i n of D a y a n d N i g h t (K 3) 3 The animals argue about the length of day and night. Grizzly 4 wants darkness for ten years. Frog wants it for one night. Contesting, Frog wins, he wears out Grizzly by croaking uninterruptedly through the night. Now there is darkness for one night only.

76 77 78 107 108 109

110 111 54 55

Wild Cat T a l e s (K 54, 76, 100; C, UC 107; UC 207) Wild Cat kills rabbits which fasten on his penis. Coyote tries this method and is bitten by ants. Wild Cat chops logs with his penis to make dried salmon. Coyote tries it and is caught in a log. Wild Cat and Coyote try to steal salmon from a house, Coyote goes in circles inside, falls asleep, is caught and killed. Wild Cat strikes and kills ducks he makes dance. When Coyote tries it Swans carry him aloft and drop him into mud. Coon induces Coyote to lie overnight on skunk cabbages, then to thrust hie penis into an anthill, in order to make dried fish. Coon induces Coyote to steal food from Bees; they sting him. In turn, Coyote waylays and shoots Coon, pretends to doctor him, kills and eats him. Coyote fights Faeces Person. He seals himself in rock, starves, eats parts of himself until Bluejays and Woodpeckers liberate him. Having eaten his own eyes he picks flowers for temporary eyes and exchanges them for a bird boy's good eyes. Coyote juggles his new eyes until a bird steals them. He kills and impersonates an old woman, is taken by her granddaughters, with whom he copulates, to the place where he regains his eyes from persons playing with them. Coyote waylays his own brother who is Deer, shoots him, pretends to doctor him. Another brother, who is Fox, also doctors. Deer dies; Fox and Coyote devour him.

(C, UC 113, 133; UWP 192, 219) (192) Cougar hunts for his brothers. Wild Cat is ordered not to sing (193) while making bark kettles; by disobeying he encounters an ogre

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who gulps a whole fish trap full of sticks, and then a whole elk. The ogre sleeps with open eyes. Wild Cat cuts off the ogre's head, which rolls in pursuit, is lost in a fog. and falls into a creek. Cougar gives Wild Cat weapons and leaves him. Wild Cat encounters Coon who takes fish out of a stream with a magic gesture; Wild Cat spears Coon's steelheads and flees. He and Timber Rabbit play at scratching one another's backs; he flays and devours Timber Rabbit. Cougar agrees to leave game he has hunted so that Wild Cat may share it. Wild Cat lets the fire go out; he carries a brand across stream from the fireplace of a dangerous old woman; the brand burns him. Four grandsons of the old woman, each carrying game, cross to Wild Cat and Cougar. While Wild Cat cuts their heel tendons Cougar fights and kills them. The fifth grandson and Cougar ascend chewing each other to pieces; Wild Cat puts together Cougar's pieces, placing the wrong liver inside. Cougar and Wild Cat part. Game he has killed is left by Cougar for Wild Cat. Cougar encounters a Mink boy who, catching ducks, disappears in a lake. Cougar dries up the lake and finds Mink in a dangerous but tiny fish. Mink insists on repeating the wordTyigh until there is a deluge. Mink gets prepared food from Cougar's invisible wives in a spring. Mink protects Cougar, who is asleep, from a girl's father who attempts to stab him. The father sends Minks to fetch Rock and Flint who are fighting one another; Mink makes them small and large again so that they almost kill the old man. He sends Mink to get fir bark hoping in vain that it will kill him. The old man tumbles Mink from a canoe but cannot drown him. Cougar kills the man's Grizzly daughter and roasts her nipples as food for him. (C, UC 142) Wild Cat'6 wife burns him in the fire. Ignoring Cougar's warning the woman goes to a prairie and is carried away by Cloud. Cougar pursues above and is killed by Cloud. Wild Cat and Cougar Boy pursue, kill Cloud's two sister, don the Cloud girl's garments and impersonate Cloud's sisters. With Cougar woman they kill Cloud and step over and revive Cougar. Cougar woman bears a Cloud baby which extracts and swallows children's eyes. The fifth time Cloud girl is whipped for the offense she becomes a cloud.

(194) (195) (196) 115 116 117 118 119 120

121

142 143 144 145

(K 24) At his grandmother's request Wild Cat asks an old man what 24 month it is; the old man refers to his grandmother insultingly. She goes to the old man, behaves lewdly; Wild Cat burns her up whith 25

282

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the old man. Eating meat he has found, his teeth drop out. Reaching Grizzly woman, he gives her his teeth; she gives him large teeth; he sleeps with her. Next day he exchanges teeth and sleeps with Bear 26 woman; the day after, with Cougar woman; a day later, with Otter woman. The fifth day he finds five Mice women. To escape the pursuing Grizzly woman the Mice dig a hole and carry Wild Cat 27 away; four are killed by Grizzly. The fifth Mouse louses Grizzly, who has toads for lice. Then Grizzly louses Mouse, kills her and kills Wild Cat too. (K 27) 27 At a winter power dance, Wild Cat spits down into a girl's mouth. 28 Later, she gives birth. Her baby's crying cannot be halted. No man can be found who can hold the baby, stop its crying, and so 29 demonstrate fatherhood. When Wild Cat holds the baby it ceases crying. Ashamed, the people desert Wild Cat, the girl, and her baby. Wild Cat sweats, sheds his ugly skin, becomes young and 30 handsome, hunts successfully. When the people starve, Buzzard observes the wellbeing of the deserted ones. Weasel arranges for the return of the people.

(216) (217) (218)

(219) 153 154 155 156

The Contests (C, UC 153; UWP 216) Coyote tells Eagle, Blue Jay and Beaver to spear salmon from a cannoe at the falls. Eagle cannot take his hands from the spear shaft and the canoe is borne away. Chinook Salmon woman gets into the canoe as it goes along. They stop at a village. Blue Jay cheats and stays longer under water in a contest with a dangerous woman, whom he clubs to death. Beaver wins over a woman in a contest where rocks slide down on them; the woman is killed. Eagle and Cougar girl contest at eating up each other; Hawk kills the girl; her meat is burned. Eagle kills all the dangerous people except Chinook Salmon woman; she falls into water and only Turtle finds her. Then Blue Jay's people make war. A speared dangerous fish pulls away Blue J a y and his people who, in their canoe, tug vainly at the salmon pole. The dangerous being takes them to ice so slippery that it can not be stepped on, until Eagle's power makes that possible. In an ice cold and smoky house Blue J a y nearly suffocates until Eagle makes a breathing hole to the outside. In a hot sweat house Eagle makes another vent hole for Blue Jay. Eagle tells Blue Jay how to stay longer under water than a bird girl who contests at plunging. Blue Jay clouts

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the girl to death under water. In a shooting contest Eagle shoots at and splits the boy of the Dangerous Being, the latter shoots at Blue Jay who, protected by a rock shield, is hit but is uninjured. A bird boy of the Dangerous Person contests with Blue Jay at 157 pole climbing; high out of sight, Blue Jay clubs the bird boy to death. Returning home by canoe, Blue J a y and his people barely 158 pass under five rock shutters. Chinook S a l m o n ' s W i f e is S t o l e n by t h e W o l v e s (K 47) A chief offers his daughter to the person who splits an elk antler. The birds try and fail. Four fish fail, but Steelhead splits it. Chinook Salmon man takes the woman. Thereupon the animals make war upon the fish, until only Eel and Turtle survive. A scale of Chinook Salmon drifts oceanwards, grows, becomes Chinook Salmon man again. He receives arrows from five Snakes, then kills them. In return for repairing Meadow Lark's broken leg she tells him where the five Wolves have been keeping his woman. Using five pitfalls, he kills the five Wolves each of whom packs five deer. Chinook Salmon forces five wolf babies out of his wife. When he and his wife paddle homeward, the warm sunlight makes him maggoty; she insults him and he throws her away onto a rock. There Buzzard nearly extracts her eyes, flies to Chinook Salmon, who asks him to bring back the woman. Buzzard and Vulture carry her to Chinook Salmon. Boarding his canoe she falls into the water. Turtle is the only one to find her by diving; he obtains her for his wife.

47 48 49 50 51 52

53

E a g l e and W e a s e l (K 20) Eagle's younger and mischievous brother Weasel shoots down 20 at people singing in a power dance. Eagle flies away with Weasel 21 when surrounded by the people; after saving Weasel Eagle dismisses him. Weasel trickily shoots at Eagle; then he induces Eagle to permit him to rejoin him. Ignoring warnings Weasel copulates 22 with two wives af a monster Rattlesnake. It swallows Eagle, Weasel, and the rock in which they have hidden. Weasel finds that Rattlesnake has choked to death on the rock; they emerge, skin Rattlesnake, and carry along its skin. When Weasel carries 23 it he attempts to frighten Eagle by imitating rattling. Weasel insists on making rain by repeating the word Tyigh; he drifts away on the flood.

284

(207) (208)

(209) (210) (211)

(212) (213) (214) (215)

42 43

203 205 206 207

217 218

219 179 180

Northwest

Sahaptin

Texts

Skunk (K 42; UC 202; U W P 207) Skunk secretly takes to wife a woman who had come in order to be Eagle's wife. Eagle makes Skunk leave to fetch m e a t ; Eagle takes the woman from her hiding place, forces fives infant skunks from her belly, and flees with her to a cliff. Skunk pursues t h e m ; thinking they are their reflection in the water, he ejects musk at the water. Eagle hoists Skunk up the precipice, then cuts the rope and tumbles him into the stream. Skunk asks four villages about his lost sac. At the fifth village the people who are playing with his sac lose it when it rolls into Skunk's rectum. Returning upriver he ejects musk at those villagers who had spoken depreciatingly of his sac. He obtains packs of valuables at such villages. Encountering Cougar, he challenges him to wrestle. Cougar is tricky and hurls Skunk across a ravine. Fearing Skunk, Prairie Dog takes the form of maggoty meat which Skunk picks up and carries along. When Skunk remarks that he fears only the Whistler, Prairie Dog whistles until Skunk drops the valuable packs to flee in terror. Prairie Dog ordains t h a t skunks will be timorous creatures. Wolf takes a woman of whom Skunk is enamored; pursuing, Skunk is given a scare, tumbles into a stream, loses his sac. He has to plug himself because strawberries he has eaten pass through and out of him undigested. He gets back his sac from people who are playing with it. He drifts away. The woman whom Skunk is keeping places a hair in Eagle's food to indicate her presence; Skunk insists the hair is his own. When Eagle hauls Skunk up the cliff, he thrusts a hot rock into Skunk's rectum and lets him fall. Frost Person takes the form of maggoty m e a t ; he whistles like a Whistler Person and terrifies Skunk into dropping all his valuables. Grizzly Bear Tales (Kit 217; UC 179; C, UC 113; U W P 183, 219) Coon brings acorns for his grandmother W r e n ; he steals her acorns and pours them into the river to see them float away. She whips him. H e is swallowed by Grizzly, cuts the heart, kills Grizzly. The people butcher the monster. Coon feeds a dangerous being who eats u p everything; a man helps Coon cremate the dangerous being. Coon again gives another stranger food; Wren deserts him; the stranger devours Coon. Coon gluttonously eats up acorns, is beaten by his grandmother. Gathering crabs, he insults Grizzly, is swallowed, cuts at Grizzly's

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heart, is expelled; five times thus until he cuts off the h e a r t and 181 Grizzly dies. Coon a n d his grandmother butcher Grizzly; she packs home only the penis. Coon whips her a f t e r she masturbates with it. 182 She calls across to four Duck nephews to come to get her but disguises herself as a rock. The fifth Duck finds her. The Ducks go to Coon 183 who tells them how she treated Grizzly. (K 45; C, UC 159) Grizzly woman monopolizes the best root a n d berry patches. Bear woman quarrels with and whips Grizzly's daughter, goes to Grizzly's huckleberry patch, defecates over it, returns, kills and flays Bear's daughter. Grizzly finds her daughter's skin, a t t e m p t s t o track Bear, b u t is confused by the crying of Bear's faeces. Bear escapes. Grizzly woman a n d Bear woman louse each other; Grizzly kills Bear. Bear's five girls kill Grizzly's five girls, roast them, flee. Grizzly returns, finds her girls roasted; Bear girl's Dog gives Grizzly t h e wrong directions for pursuing. The Bears wish berries t o ripen; these a t t r a c t Grizzly and delay her pursuit. Grizzly appeals to her father Bake-on-hot-rocks, who roasts each one of four Bear girls when she comes to his place. The youngest Bear girl is guided by a Deer; she takes a wrong path which leads to the Testicle E a r P e n d a n t people. Deer's sisters seek Bear girl, save her f r o m the Testicle Ear P e n d a n t people. Living with Deer, Bear girl catches Chinook Salmon m a n on her hook and is taken away by him. Meadow Lark helps Deer plunge the thirsty Chinook Salmon man into a magically lowered spring; Deer regains his Bear wife.

45 46 47

159 160

161 162

163

(UC 186) Grizzly's husband buries a dog and vanishes; Grizzly is led to 186 think it is her husband who has died; when she finds she is deceived she eats most of the people. She and Bear make Grizzly's sister-inlaw their servant; the girl wipes them with her hair a f t e r they defecate and she serves them soup of human bones. She meets her brother who washes her. He returns disguissd and cohabits 187 with Grizzly; he makes her dig holes in which to cache food; in the deepest hole he shoots and kills her. Going along with him his sister takes t h e form of a Grizzly and pursues him. He flees to 188 Poisonous Urine Boy sho echoes what is said until called in-law. Then Urine Boy hides the man in his hair. When Grizzly comes Urine Boy urinates into and kills her. Only the youngest sister of Urine Boy will sleep with him; she becomes the wife of the man hidden in his hair.

286

Northwest Sahaptin

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Mink (U C 183) 183 Mink boy carries away to the sunrise the corpse of the chief's 184 daughter. There a man prays, steps over, and resuscitates the girl for Mink. After some years Mink and his wife return west to her 185 village. On another and later journey Mink dives into the water for food and is transformed into a dangerous being; his wife flees and returns home. Mountain Goat Tales (K 16) 16 The youngest of five Mountain Goats and a Buffalo contend by 17 stabbing at each other, until Mountain Goat kills Buffalo. On his way home Mountain Goat Boy encounters five Prairie Goats, and with his older brothers furtively exchanges clothes with the Prairie Goats. (K 19) 19 The youngest of five Deer marries the sister of five Mountain 20 Goats. Though warned not to, he follows the Mountain Goats in rocky places. Seeing Deer marooned they give him better footwear, so that he will never fall in bad places. Elk tales (K 8) 8 A chief tries elk antlers on several animals to determine who is 9 to become Elk. Jack Rabbit tries them on, fattens for three months, and when caught after a five day pursuit is found too lean to be eaten. Timber Rabbit tries on the antlers, fattens for three months, is also caught only after a long chase, and also lacks fat. Then 10 Sturgeon's brother, Elk-to-be, tries on the antlers. When he is caught, he is found to be just right for food. So he is made Elk. (K 5) 5 A one legged man sends out his son to find elk power. Elk confers hunting power upon the man. Elk tells him to inform his father that it was a falling log, not an elk, that broke his leg. The father is ashamed and his son leaves him.

6

(K 6) The oldest of five Elk brothers goes to seek a wife, bathes in a lake, a woman bather climbs on his antlers in the water, he rides away

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with her. Thirsty, she obtains water in his ear; hungry, she finds food in his other ear. After placing boughs on his back, she catches on a tree. Elk reaches home with boughs on his back but not with the woman. He pursues her, urinates at a site where she has urinated, then turns back home again. Returning to her own home, the woman shortly gives birth to Elk's child. She never loosens the child from its board. In the mother's absence and before the fifth night, the grandmother loosens the child because it has been crying; it flees to the mountains, an elk. That is why elk now can be found only at a great distance away in the mountains. Beaver (UWP 200, 234) Brothers are led to a lake by old man Beaver, are given an easily broken spear, hunt beavers for the old man, and are killed and devoured by him. The youngest of the five brothers makes a strong spear; when the dangerous old Beaver foresees his own killing, he begs that it be done by clubbing with cottonwood limbs. The younger brother steps over his brother's bones; they become living men again. He decrees that beavers are to be merely beavers.

7

8

(200) (201) (202) (203)

Flying Squirrel (K 43; C 171; U W P 204) Four brothers in sequence hunt, are led to a forest camp where (204) they fall asleep, are killed and devoured by Flying Squirrel. The (206) fifth and youngest brother places a sharp stake at the place where Flying Squirrel leaps upon his prey. Having impaled and killed (207) Flying Squirrel, he steps over the bones of his brothers and they return to life. He ordains that the dangerous Flying Squirrel become a mere animal. Flea (K 11; C 174; U W P 236) Flea, a dangerous being, kills, carries away and eats persons. He carries away one woman to be his wife; she bears him four Flea boys and one human girl. The woman's older brother visits her is smelled and pursued by Flea, is killed and brought back. His nephews eat him. The woman cremates her Flea husband and sons in the house, and departs for home with her daughter. When the girl grows up she kills playmates; the people have to kill her. The woman begins killimg people and must be killed herself. In future fleas are not to kill and eat people.

(236) (237) (238) (239) (240)

288

Northwest Sahaptin

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Deer (K 14) 14 In sequence four brothers are led by a dangerous Deer to a place 15 beneath a lake. The fifth and youngest brother obtains strong spirit power, kills the dangerous Deer, dries up the lake; his older 16 brothers emerge. In future there are not to be dangerous deer; deer will be food. The youngest brother shows his older brothers how deer are to be killed for food. Wolf a n d B u m b l e Bee (K 17) 17 In sequence four Wolves when hunting are seized by cannibal 18 Bumble Bees. In return for repairing her broken limb Meadow Lark advises the youngest Wolf. He shoots the Bumble Bee family. 19 He is stung when he places a Bee in his garments. T h e D o g s B r e a k t h e C o l d of W i n t e r (K 30, 32) 30 In a freezing famine winter, the people sing in vain to make the land warm. Five Dog brothers sing to their mountain echo power. 32 I t becomes warmer; the people are saved. Timber Rabbit (K10) 10 Having lost all his valuables, Timber Rabbit seeks power for five days before finding an old man who gives him a gambling 11 power. Home again, he defeats his opponents and wins back the valuables he has lost. Owl (C 175) 175 A girl is carried off by Owl. Little owls enter the house of the 176 girl's grandparents, who strike the owls. The girl returns with her Owl husband. Her grandfather thinks himself insulted because of Owl's eyes and shoots at him; Owl leaves. Raven (C, UC 163) 163 A boy helps his grandfather Raven fish salmon. When the boy's 164 wife disappears, Raven carries the boy to where the wcman has been taken. On the way Raven descends when hungry; he ascends

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289

when fed; he flies with the boy for five days and arrives in a strange 165 country. There Raven begs food to conceal the motive of his presence. The boy's wife prepares five day's food for the return 166 flight. Raven carries the boy and the woman back home. Since 167 then Raven has been provided with all sorts of food by the people. Spear Boy (C, UC 148) Spear Boy swallows the salmon he has speared and returns without fish; his sister leaves him. She travels to Beaver, a river bird, and other men, staying one night with each. Spear Boy follows her and reaches each place one night after she has been there. She arrives at the Otters; they have many salmon butchered; when they cook they merely throw a salmon into the Fire, which is their mother; she cooks their salmon. When Spear Boy arrives at Otter's he swallows uncooked salmon whole. He catches up to his sister at the place of River Man; there he spears and swallows salmon continually. River Man induces him to go back home, fastens a rock on front of him to shield him from the Pecking Ogress. When Spear Boy reaches her she pecks at him in vain. Visit to the Sun (K 33) A girl refuses all suitors; only one succeeds in forcing himself into her house. She takes a lock of his hair. Later she shames him by returning it to him; so he goes away to the east, marking his trail with arrows. He is hid den by the daughter of Sun who is a cannibal. Discovering the man, Sun promises not to harm him. Sun's daughter teaches the man how to hunt and fish, and she argues Sun into substituting game and fish for human food. After giving birth to a boy and a girl, she travels west with husband and children, guided by Moon, Sun's younger brother. She sets a limit to Sun's daily journey. Back at his original home her husband causes the first woman he wooed to fall into water and drown.

148 149 150 151

152

33 34 35 36 37 38 39

The Man who Killed his Male C h i l d r e n (C, UC 123) A polygamous man has all his boy babies killed. One wife bears 123 a boy and secretly raises him. When the boy is grown up his father learns of him and comes to kill him. Arrows fail to pierce the boy 124 and he kills his father. 20

290

Northwest Sahaptin

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The Race (C, UC 124)

124

Penis laughs so hard at Vulva that she outraces him. T a l e s of E u r o p e a n O r i g i n (247)

247 A man's wife is caught while fetching game he has killed. He 248 goes away, strengthens himself and sharpens his knife for three years; he can leap over trees. He jumps over the high stone wall of the chief's place where she is kept; a slave informs him where his wife is. 249 She guides her husband who cuts off the chief's head. Taking along 250 valuable garments, the man, his wife, and the slave flee on horseback. 251 Pursuit is in vain. The man exhibits the chief's head and gives away the fine garments. (252, 258)

252 253 254 255 256 257 258 258

259 260 261

A young man wishes for a wife with blood red cheeks. He sees a boy's corpse, bargains with a man to induce the man to bury it. Days later a little boy (Death Boy) joins him, informs him of adventures to come. They reach a rock thrower, a seed planter, an oat cutter, an oat tresher; Death Boy contests with each in succession and defeats him; they decapitate each defeated man and take his knife. They come to the red cheeked woman. The young man plays cards with her on successive nights; one night he wins a breast pin, the next a comb, the next a ring, lastly a bracelet. Each night his prize is stolen from him but retrieved by Death Boy. The woman asks the young man to show her what she has kissed. Death Boy cuts off the principal head of her Seven Headed Rattlesnake husband; this is what the young man shows her. She marries the young man. A young man sees a boy's corpse, bargains with a man to induce the man to bury it. Days later a little boy (Death Boy) joins him, informs him of adventure to come. They reach a rock thrower; Death Boy contests with him and defeats him; they decapitate him and take his knife. Death Boy instructs the young man, gives him a powerful shirt, leaves him. The young man reaches in succession an oak twister, a lake gulper, a mountain carrier, a clubber of lions, tigers and grizzlies; he defeats each powerful man and each becomes his companion. They occupy an empty house. While four go to work, one remains to cook. One after another is tricked by a strange fat boy who appears mysteriously from a hole in the floor, demands food

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gluttonously, spills stew on him and disappears. The man with 262 the powerful shirt is approached similarly by the gluttonous fat boy and clubs him to death. With the boy's keys he finds a country underneath. In it he kills dangerous dogs belonging to several women 263 each of whom becomes his wife. (263)

An orphaned boy gambles at cards with a negro storekeeper; the negro loses his property, then wins it back; he tells the boy to cross the river to a house. There an old woman asks advice of her dishes, knives, forks, spoons, cat, dog, rooster; the geese inform her and she tells him what will happen to him. She gives him a cane with which he makes a foot log bridge. He seizes the garments of the youngest of five girls who are swimming. When she calls him "husband" he returns her garments and accompanies her home. She advises him how to solve her father's tests. He kicks aside a chopping block and throws away an axe; he pretends he is a cannibal and demands good food. Ordered to manure a field and to make a barn with broken implements, he thinks of the girl; she comes and aids him. He surpasses his father-in-law in using a maul. With the girl's help he makes a large house in a day. The man has his five daughters dance, changing their garments each dance; the boy selects the youngest girl every time. She warns him not to sleep with her in a prepared bed which will fall and kill them. They flee after setting peas on a dish above a lamp; the peas sound as if the young couple were playing cards. When the old man follows them they fasten a bear's paw in a log and entangle the antlers of two deer in order to delay his pursuit. The girl finally throws shoe tacks in her father's eyes.

283 264

266

266 267 268

(C, UC 107)

Rock fetches firewood. Boil fetches water. When they reverse 107 occupations Rock drowns and Boil collapses, pricked open by inner bark needles.

20*

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